Good Morning Girls!  While on vacation I decided to put my food plan aside and enjoy the first class meals that were prepared for us.  My mornings started out with 2 big bowls of fresh fruit (hard to come by in Minnesota in February), 2 cups of coffee (yep, coffee), and one almond croissant (yep, the mother of all things trans fatty).  I ate my breakfast in the sun staring out at the ocean, and enjoyed every bite of it.  My dinners looked like cuisine found only on the food network.  They were rich, delicious, and of course, served with dessert.  Again, I savored every bite of it.  I knew I was indulging.  I also believed 3 1/2 days of this indulgence would not undo all of the good I have done.  I planned on resuming my regular food plan the moment I stepped off the plane......

The funny thing is, though my mind had decided this was a quick vacation, my flesh didn't see it that way.  My flesh woke up screaming "hey!  where's the almond pastry!  I'm tired....make me some coffee!" Since I got home, I have been in the struggle many of you are familiar with.  The struggle where every day you wake up determined to stick with your meal plan, but somehow by the time you go to bed, things have detoured dramatically off course.  To make matters worse I have had 2 sick kids since I got home.  Not only have I been stuck at home, I have also been unable to go to the grocery store to get my normal foods.  Boredom + lack of food choices + screaming flesh = disaster.  As I write this morning I have a pounding sugar hangover due to the king size bag of skittles I ate yesterday while working on the seminar i am giving this weekend on healthy living!  That's just super isn't it!

This example of my food plan gone bad is no different than any other area of our life that we desire to improve upon.  Maybe you wake up and promise yourself you will be more patient and within 10 minutes you find yourself screaming at the kids.  Or maybe you desire to get in the Word each day, but then you notice that The Doctors are on and they are covering a very interesting topic (like diseases found in your kitchen).  Or perhaps you promised your spouse you would clean up the house, but your friend called and you ended up talking for 2 hours.  Regardless of your goal, at the end of the day, if we miss the mark, we can often feel frustrated.  We've blown it again.  We will never get it right.  Why even bother trying anymore?

Let me tell you why we bother trying day after day.......If you don't quit, you win!  Sure, I may have lost some ground for a week.  But seriously, it's just a week.  Put things in perspective.   Life is not an all or nothing deal.  It is a series of choices.  Some good, some not so good.  However, the more good choices you make;  the more you resolve each day to try again, the closer you will be to becoming the person you desire to be. 

If you are feeling like you've blown it in some area of your life, take a moment and ask the Lord for help.  Tell Him the behavior or action you desire to make, and ask Him to help you carry out that desire.  Let go of the previous days mistakes, and resolve to move forward.  Today.  Right now.  Even if you have already blown it this morning.  Start fresh. Right now.  And remember, we are in it together.......

Philippians 1:30 We are in this struggle together.  You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. (but we will come out on top!)

Love you all-
Jen

ps Despite my struggle, I do not regret my vacation choices, they were worth it!   It is the choices I have made since I got home that were not . Praise the Lord, it took me 2 extra days, but I've got my groove back!