Goodbye, July… Hello August. (Already?!?)
As the store shelves fill (and are emptied) with school supplies, I am embarking on a new month of Operation Fortitude Fitness.
For those of you just joining us, check out last month’s post or my beginning of 2012 post to get caught up.
In summary, July was… super busy. I was disconnected for a week for a much needed vacation, then SheSpeaks and my sweet Mother-In-Love visited for a week. All of those things were huge blessings… But apparently, I can’t do it all.
That being said, July wasn’t my most successful month for MY goals– but God has some remarkable breakthroughs in other areas of my life (perhaps focusing on His goals?)
So let’s get this party started.
SMART Change #1: Operation Fort-itude Fitness. In short, my goal for 2012 is to log at least 98 miles per month via biking, swimming, running, elliptical etc to “travel” from Fort Benning, Georgia to Fort Riley, Kansas. Also, in order to stay on track with my strength training, I need to do 2,500 various reps per month. As of last update, I had logged 848.5 miles Jan-June and “arrived” in my hometown of Colony, Kansas.
RESULT: GOAL sorta met… July in the workout department was a little bit lame sauce. Fortunately, the Lord gives me grace cards. 🙂 (Thanks for that, Jesus.) Since being gone/busy for about three entire weeks this month, I am glad I found time to work out at all. I was able to log 75 miles and have arrived in Carbondale, KS. As far as strength training– not so much.
But great news… Today starts a new month. Please excuse me while I hit the reset button on my workout sched. AND GO.
SMART Change #2: Spend significant time Lord’s presence by using my Jesus Calling Devotional and studying the accompanying Scripture. I will also continue to keep a prayer request list in a notebook and/or iPad.
RESULT: ON GOING God really moved in this area again this month. I have still been spending time lots of time with Him, but my prayer life really grew. I have been chatting with Him, seeking Him and I can feel my trust growing significantly. So legit!
SMART Change #3: Complete my 1000 Gift List (inspired by Ann Voskamp’s book) by the end of 2012.
RESULT: COMPLETED!! And on going. I completed this goal last month, but am so addicted to seeking God’s gifts, glory and goodness that I have continued. I am now at currently at #1210 and still going strong. (Side note: my favorite gift this month– Seeing twin baby fawns hanging out in the trees on my way home last Sunday night. Awesome.)
SMART Change #4: Memorize a book of the Bible, starting with 1 John.
RESULT: ON GOING Honestly… Didn’t do much with this one this month. SIGH. Going to play my grace card and hit the reset button for August. 🙂
SMART Change #5: Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry and submit to God DAILY in all areas of my life.
RESULT: ON GOING This one was huge– July, although super busy, was also a month of much needed rest between vacation with my sweet husband and hanging out with my mother-in-love. I have let myself SLOW DOWN with the rush of my To Do list, allowed myself to take a nap every now and then (and I am NOT a good napper) as well as read some Christian fiction books that feed my heart but don’t exhaust my brain. This was a huge blessing this month.
I’ve learned an important lesson this month– sometimes we have to put our plans on hold (no matter how wonderful/noble they are) and let God do His thang. While I wasn’t completely successful with reaching my monthly SMART goals this go round, I still say this month was anything but a failure. (If you have been following my blog for more than 30 seconds, you have probably witnessed the great ways that God is moving in our life!)
Today challenge: Are your plans getting in the way of God’s plans? What do you need to put on hold or lay aside to let God work? In what areas of your life do YOU need a grace card every now and then? Your thoughts and comments are always so encouraging– don’t be shy, share below!!
Thanks to every single one of you for your cheers and prayers. It’s a new month– and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.
Now if you will excuse me, I have a date with the treadmill.
Working for Jesus,
SGK
“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4
