July 30-Day Challenge

I've decided to challenge myself because I need to take better care of myself. In a month, I'm flying back to my home state to visit for a few weeks, and I want to arrive feeling mentally, physically and spiritually healthy. I want to show myself and others that I can take care of myself well and honor the life and the body the Lord has given to me!

I'm only on the second day of the challenge, but this is what I have observed so far:

• Following the challenge doesn't necessarily mean my life and my attitude will change. It'll take more than doing my workout, watching what I eat, avoiding spending money, and reading Bible passages. What I need to do is push to change my lifestyle and habits, mostly being on my laptop and phone for hours on end. I can do everything right, yet things will stay the same if I allow myself to waste so much time on my devices rather than doing more beneficial things. So really in a way, I need to change my life and attitude in order to follow the challenge. Each thing helps the other out.
• Reading my Bible does not automatically make my relationship with God right. Reading the Bible is a vital part of following Jesus, but I find that there's this sort of blockade in front of my heart that is keeping me from praising and adoring Christ in each moment of every day. So, I need to pray. I've never been good at praying often or consistently, but when I have, I find myself closer to the Lord and more intimate with Him. Part of being a Christian means practicing our faith every day, and not just sitting down to read the Bible then continuing on with the day without giving Jesus another thought.
• Self-Control!! Man, I am so bad at that. I act like a toddler in situations when I have to use self-control, mostly with food, screen time, going to bed at a good time, and sometimes spending. Many times I'll give in to my toddler-ness, but then of course I don't learn. I need to realize what this challenge is about and be open to changing in the ways the Lord wants me to.

I will be posting updates throughout the month. Oh, I also just signed up to take five kickboxing classes. I'm going to be Black Widow and also Wonder Woman by the end of this!