Goals and Habits … Is it God’s Will?

Over the month of December and early January, I’d been making personal goals and accomplishing them, and here’s what I’ve learned; It feels really good. It feels good to do things, and do them well. It’s empowering to feel strong, smart, talented, and organized. And for someone who’s love language is ‘words of affirmation’, having people affirm my efforts and tell me I’m wonderful makes my heart burst with joy!

However … is it really me?

Are my brains, my strength, my talents … are they really mine? Can I crush whatever goal I have simply because I’m determined and motivated? Does health mean everything? Is my body mine, to use however I want?

And I had to concede … the answer is no.

No, my brains and strength and talent is not mine – it’s YHVH’s, that He gave to me to use for His glory. No, my own determination and motivation only goes so far – it’s YHVH who breathes life and energy into me to enable me to work hard in life. And I can’t get anywhere on my own strength – It’s YHVH I need to lean on, trust in, to help me in distress and hard times.

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However, even though we know that we should take this step, how do we do it? How can we smack back our bad habits of trusting in ourselves, of making goals that take YHVH out of the picture? Habits are hard to break – especially bad ones.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. But because my target is youth audiences, I’ll give you some things to think about …

• Are your goals focused on an end goal of being God-oriented, others-oriented, or self-oriented?
• Are you involving your parents, other family, and close friends in your dreams, goals, friendships, and the desires of your heart?
• Are you praying over all your struggles? (Emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, relational?)
• Are you working so hard at your goals that you don’t have time to do things you’re passionate about, or things that help others?
• Are you giving God the glory, if only just in the quiet of your own prayer time?

A habit isn’t broken by mental assent. You’ve got to discover something that resonates in your soul – something that means something to you. For me, my “soul resonating” comes when I’m trying to act in trust in YHVH’s Will for my life. I’m coming to the realization that YHVH’s plan is the only plan I want. Any other plan will fail to satisfy.

So please don’t expect a lifestyle switch to be easy. It isn’t.

But please DO expect it to mold you, and change you. Of course, if you’re afraid of change (like I am) this will be even harder for you.

But are you willing to change? To line up your goals with God’s Will for your life? To break the habits that detract from God’s Will? To trust God to give you the strength for the things He wants you to accomplish?

There’s only One Way to find out.

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I’d also like to add something that a friend told me …. Grace, over at Vibrant for Jesus. She said that we should always remember the MAIN goal, which is glorifying God. That made me think of this verse …

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Phillippians 3:14, NKJV

Paul had #goals too! His goal was the prize of Christ’s calling. What an amazing goal.

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Cute hairstyles for Summer Camp!

Hey everyone! Just popping in for a short post today. Hope you enjoy!

Have you ever been to summer camp with your hair on its second day? Trust me, its not something you want to go through without that one trusty person who knows how to French braid! But although French braids are THE hairstyle when at camp, there are several other preppy styles to wear that are way easier and cute as well!

1. half up, half down.

I like this one because it calls attention to the back of the head, which doesn’t happen with normal styles. If you have long flowing hair, this keeps it out of your face and adds dimension to the back of your head. Plus, you can dress it up a lot! Scrunchy, braid, kerchief, a mini bun (trust me, it doesn’t make you look like a guy!), you could even add small flowers! (I tried this once and it made me feel like a princess!)

2. braided ponytail.

I went through a phase where I did this quite a lot! I find that you can use either the three-strand braid and the two-strand (or “rope” braid.) Start with a section of hair at the front middle of your face, and pull it into a braid. (The larger the section, the larger the braid, but also the bigger the pouf, which makes it harder to control.) Then pull the rest of your hair into a ponytail, and tuck in the braid, so it travels from your hairline to the ponytail, across your head.

The braid looks visible, and at the root of the braid is a pouf that adds dimension to the front of your head, which may have otherwise looked flat on its second day.

3. messy bun.

If you know you’re not going to be doing a lot of running that day, a loose messy bun looks amazing and won’t fall out if you use the right tricks! (I confess I have yet to discover these tricks!) I normally make my buns just by twisting the hair at any point on my head (normally mid to low height) and wrapping it with a spiral ponytail band (which are my favorite hair band EVER! They hold hair in place really nicely and tightly, because of the spirals. If they stretch, just put them in a bowl of boiling water and they’ll shrink magically!)

4. the famous, the one-and-only, milkmaid braid!

This is my absolute favorite style ever! Not just because it gives off such whimsical swiss alpine vibes (be still my heart!) but because it wraps the face with such a beautiful braid that whoever wears it instantly looks gorgeous! It can be super simple, but it looks like it takes a lot of practice to get it right. Here’s a tutorial (simply because I have never excelled at giving instructions about something which I can’t do! 😂)

5. bandana.

I saw this one a few years ago and my cabinmates and I instantly fell in love! (No, it wasn’t a boy, it was a bandana!) Fold your bandana in half so it looks like a triangle, then flip the long side one inch over, and over, and over again until it looks like a ribbon. Loop it around the back of your head and tie it at your hairline, being sure the “bow” lands slightly off-center, or you’ll look like a rabbit. Here’s a pic because my instructions look confusing even to me!

(Source: https://blog.stylewe.com/step-up-your-hairstyle-fashion-with-bandana/)

I hope y’all enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts. What are your favorite hairstyles for summer camp?

Makayla

I did the 2019 SHRED Challenge!

Hey y’all! For those of you who have not read my previous post on the Chloe Ting 2019 Workout Challenge (and my tips on how to get through it!), go ahead and read it here!! As I explained in that post, I began the Challenge in the end of November, and have just finished last Sunday!

So, how did it go for me?

My complete experience!

I had a blast!!

I began the ab challenge before realizing that it was part of a bigger challenge – the 2019 SHRED. (This guy’s post inspired me to start the ab workout, and of course it all began with this girl and her playlist! Thanks you two!!) So, for the first few days, I had only done the ab workout, but personally, I don’t mind. It let me ease myself into a hard workout.

The soreness subsided after the first few days. I found the up-and-down planks to be the most challenging, and the Burpees to be just plain annoying! 😂 But y’all … the feeling when you finish! It’s awesome!! (Be warned that you may experience jelly legs at some point!)

Towards the end, I really had to push myself into my workouts! Let the memory of how good it feels afterward and the endurance you’re gaining push you on to finish the challenge!!

Alrighty, now we get to the scary part …

My results!

Who cares about the number on the scale? Not me. (But just in case you were wondering, the evil number went down 1.5 pounds. 😝) These past few weeks, looking back, have shaped the way I think about working my body and healthy eating. I’ve gone on a few runs, helped load a moving truck with heavy stuff, and walked every day.

I haven’t noticed visible results (although my Mom said she did!) I have noticed that my legs feel more muscular, and that squats have been getting easier to perform for longer periods of time.

Aside from physical results, I’ve begun to develop stick-to-it-iveness. I had determination at the beginning and I had determination right up until the end. I got tired. Yes, at times I got demotivated. But mental growth comes from sticking with it even when it gets tough. And now I feel bolder, more ready to continue on to do bigger and more intense workouts.

(Note: Yes, I did play with the schedule a bit, taking some out, putting some in, and honestly? I’m okay with that, because I loved it. Don’t force yourself to follow it strictly if you’re going to hate it. Feel free to tailor it a bit to fit your individual needs.)

Why you should do this workout:

(Yep, I’m going to give you reasons! Keep reading!)

#1 – It’s really good for you. Any workout that gets your heart rate up, releases endorphins, and strengthens your body overall is a great workout! You’re doing yourself a favor in the long run!

#2 – It makes you feel good. Not only does endorphin release make you feel happier, but it’s empowering to be able to do something tough and stick with it for two weeks straight! I never knew I had it in me, and I bet you do too!

#3 – It strengthens you mentally. As I told another blogger, half the challenge is mental. Do I really want to get out of bed to workout, eat healthily, plan my day with more structure, and take an hour out to get all sweaty so I can shower for the third time in three days? (In case you can’t tell, the answer should be yes!) When you push yourself to do hard things because they’re good for you, it strengthens your willpower and decision-making process. So -> work out because it makes you smart. 🤨*shakes my head*

#4 – You’ll look cool in front of your friends. That is, unless they do it with you! Then you won’t! 🤣

#5 – This specific workout is well-structured for those who are new to working out and workout challenges. It lays things out in an easy-to-understand format, and I love that it switches things up every day!

Here are some resources that helped me in the past two weeks:

• “Lose it Right”, book by James Fell
• My mom’s amazing meals!
• Whey Protein powder, from Natural Factors. (Yes, it tastes amazing! You may also want to consider just buying whey in its unpowdered form as well, since it’s pretty much the same thing.)

Well, adieu my friends! I hope you decide to eventually take the plunge and do a Chloe Ting workout! I dare you to be bold and do it! Have fun!!

Makayla

This was so much fun, I need to know your tips! Which workout program are YOU on? How do you get through a Chloe Ting challenge?