40 Acts Wrap Up 2018

I was really looking forward to engaging a lot more during this Lent season with the help of 40 acts.  At the beginning it was working really well, I had been doing a bible study on James a couple of weeks before and it happens that this 40acts year was based on James.

Then Life Happened.     

I started having more and more issues with my stomach.  I have been having some food issues for awhile now, but it seemed to culminate right before Lent started.  I finally decided to do some research and then made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor. She spent quite some time with me and we decided to start the Whole30 diet but without caffeine, chocolate, strawberries and all other things that have bothered me in the past: which are a lot of foods.  The first 11 days felt like torture.  I have never cried so much over food before, and I felt like a complete and utter baby.  Needless to say it pulled me away from 40acts in a big way.  I still read the emails, I still prayed(although not in depth) and I still tried to keep an eye out on opportunities that fell into the acting generously. 

As I continued focusing on myself, my food, my self pity- I focused less on God.

What is it with all consuming things in our lives that pulls us away from God and not toward him?  

It's been 37 days now on this "diet" and I am falling into a bit of a swing with how and when to prepare food for myself, while trying to feed my family as well.  When you need to make 3-4 different meals everyday it can be overwhelming and time consuming.  What I did learn is that although I wasn't eating poorly, I wasn't eating healthy either.  I will write a separate blog post about my experience in awhile once I can get my head around things again.  I am still struggling with this experience and trying to find some type of middle ground.


When life throws me in the middle of something like this, I have to ask myself, why do I run away from God instead of toward him?  I need to make some changes to my lifestyle.  Encourage better habits for myself instead of just running back to the old comfortable ones that can be destructive.

I know, I'm babbling a bit.  My brain isn't firing properly right now.  

What I have to say is that I am having some encouraging results right now with all the changes, however, there are a lot of discouraging things as well.  But, life can always be less than optimal.  When it comes to leaning on something or someone, I know it needs to be God.

This applies to any type of hill, mountain, pot hole, rut, ...inset weird metaphor here for what you are going through-no matter the size.

I implore you today to turn around, repent, do a 180 and turn back to Him.

Remember, that after Lent comes Easter.  He is Risen!  Without this, life would be unbearable sometimes. 

I have a hope, that someday all this pain will be taken away and we will no longer be strangers in this world but live for Him in eternity.  I want to try every day, hour, minute to focus on him. It's hard but I need to remember that it's worth it.

Things could be so much worse.

And Yes, I look forward to next year's 40acts.  I will continue to do this until it becomes a part of my daily life.

When Jesus rose from the dead, Death was Arrested.  What a powerful thought and image.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”

If you would like to know the back story of this song check it out below.  It's worth the listen.