Change is Good.....

So I'm afraid to physically type this out since it's only day 1 and to say I feel like I got my butt kicked would be an understatement. But here it goes; this past week I decided me and the girls (and our poor unsuspecting friend and her son who live down the street) were going to start a new fitness routine. We have been going up to the college and swimming twice a week, riding our mountain bikes on the trails by our house (roughly a 3.1 mile loop) and to top it off we started the couch to 5k program today. Listen, I don't run. Not.even.a.little.bit. Zip. Zero. Nothing. Unless something is chasing me then I will mow you down. Ha! I have never been able to run due to my rheumatoid arthritis and all my joint pain; but I decided a 5k was on my bucket list and so here we are. It's supposed to be a 12 week program but we will probably milk it to October and then do a race. And when I say race I mean crawling over the finishing line last. But we WILL finish.

I'm not one to fear change. It's one thing in my own life and walk with the Lord but it's an entirely different thing to watch your kids mature, seek Gods plan and make their own changes. Our oldest daughter  has been dancing for 5 years and competitively for the last two. In the last two months she had really sensed Gods call to walk away from dance. At first she thought it was just to cut back. She felt the call to pick back up the piano and start learning worship music. She thought maybe she could just slowly cut back on her dance nights and then the craziest thing happened. I was in  the shower one morning and I heard God tell me Morgan was supposed to step away from dance. I thought,"What God? No way am I going to suggest that to my teenage daughter who loves it so much." I didn't want to make her feel bad so I just prayed for wisdom. That very morning Morgan came to me and said,"Mom, I don't know why but I feel God is asking me to walk away from dance and get involved with ministry more. To invest my time in those things more than dance." I shared with her what God had just laid on my heart and it was such a sweet time for us to see God confirm something in our hearts at the same time. She quickly signed up to go with her high school youth group on a summer trip and to serve at other things she had been missing out on. Her piano teacher is helping her learn worship music so she can serve in that area as well. This is the first time we have been home at night in 5 years and it's good. There's time. Time to be still. To seek Gods face away from the busyness. Time to allow God to grow her in this season. I thought of this line from a book I love called Follow Me by David Plat. he said,"The life God has for us is one of abundance. It is meant to be full, not repetitive. He wants us doing things that have eternal impact. He wants us busy expanding his kingdom in one way or another, today and every day." So change is among us. Growth is among us.

The last thing I want to share is that every time around this year I get super excited. On May 8th, it's my moms birthday but it's also the day 8 years ago that I went by ambulance to the hospital and the very day I stopped all chemo drugs, all steroid drugs and all drugs period to treat my rheumatoid arthritis. I have been battling this debilitating disease for nearly 16 years and have had some terrible health issues from it. But for the past 8 years I have been only treating it with food and exercise. I got my blood work back yesterday and at the top it said,"Could not be better!" That's what I'm talking about. I'm like thank you God! I just want to be of good cheer and thankful for ever. single. day! I can be gone tomorrow but I'm here now and I want to live everyday at my best for the Lord and my family. It's not a full proof plan to be clear of medicine but it's the choice I made and I know with God all things are possible. Blessings!