Ready, Willing, and Waiting...

Here is a little segment from the book Whiter Than Snow that I have been reading through & thuroughly enjoying (idthink i spelled that right ;) oh well =P Anyhoo, It really spoke to me and hopefully it will bring some conviction to you as well =) Paul Tripp is such an amazing writer! Simplicity at its finest.
xoxo <3
van

...and uphold me with a willing spirit.
~Psalm 51:12

Lord,
I think I can honestly say I am ready, willing, & waiting.
Reading, willing, & waiting to see my sin as You see it
To acknowledge that I am my biggest problem.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to seek Your help.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting for my mind to be clear,
for my heart to be clean.
Reading, Willing, & Waiting to acknowledge what You see,
to rest in Your compassion.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to hide in Your unfailing love.
I am ready, willing, & waiting to be washed by You,
to admit that I acted against You.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to prove the You are right & just.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to confess that my problem is from birth,
to examine within.
I am ready, willing, & waiting to be whiter than snow,
to hear joy & gladness,
for brokenness to give way to joy,
to have a steadfast heart.
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to celebrate Your grace once more.
I am ready, willing, & waiting to teach others Your ways,
to help them turn back to You.
I am so ready, willing, and so waiting
to have You save me... from me!
Ready, Willing, & Waiting to sing songs of Your righteousness,
to declare your praise,
to bring the sacrifice of a broken heart,
to see Your people prosper,
and to see You worshiped as is Your due!
But I am also
Ready, Willing, & Waiting... to be protected by Your love.
To be held by Your grace,
To be hidden in Your mercy,
and to be defended by Your power.
Because I know
that I won't always be ready, willing, and waiting.

::: 2 questions to ponder :::
-If someone watched a DVD of your last 6 weeks, would they conclude that you are a person who is totally ready, willing, and waiting to have God do exactly what he has promised to do in, with, and through you?
-Are there any specific places in your life where you are less than willing to answer God's call and to do His will?

I hope this has encouraged you, to delve deeper into your heart, examine things you may not have thought of before, or just bring you closer to our glorious Savior =)
till next time...

omg! I'm like... so fattttt- ugh!

Today, my sister said to me; "If I had a cuter nose and your lips... I would have the perfect face!" This of course made me laugh, but then it got me thinkin'. I am so ridiculously obsessed over every little {God given} trait that I don't particularly like! It's almost comical. I find myself constantly complaining about my butt, my eyes (whether they're too small 4 that day =P my legs (how they can never get skinny enough) my stomach (UGH! lol) or how short I am- tehe* It all seems so trivial as I see this in front of me right now. I really want to try and be more content with myself; but that isn't exactly easy! I'm never going to be completely ok with what I look like- there will always be something to work on! {and I know this seems very cliche} But it really only matters what's on the inside! If I am this shallow, self-consumed individual... then that is just as unattractive as a bubble butt or a poochy belly (though mine's not as bad as that! =P haha! Yes of course there is some balance- LOL! And here is the part where I brag about my achievments =P haha!
Exactly 2 weeks ago, I came to a conclusion that changed my life. Savanna! {I said* heehee} get your lazy bum off the chair in front of the computer- and go work out! (taylor also helped motivate me as well ;) heehee- For a long time now I was never content with my body, but I would never exactly do anything about it. (ok, maybe a few fruits & veggies like... twice a week {if I was lucky =P } and a walk once in a while) but never exactly anything that stuck, I would always go back 2 my old routine of no working out and eating whatever I wanted. I was SO sick of it! I realized that nothing or nobody could motivate me enough, but myself! So I did, I got motivated, and I can only attribute that to the Holy Spirit- seriously! I am proud to say that I have been working out for 2 weeks (with about 2 days off cause i was sick =( and I have lost about 6 pounds!!!! EEK!! lol- This came with diligence, with perseverance {even when this was the NOT the thing I wanted to be doing!} with a will, and with Jesus.
So, I only have three things to say to you readers...

- Jesus made you, and you are where you are because He has you there! He loves you for your precious heart, which is such a treasure! You are made uniquely, everybody is different- and not all can look like an airbrushed, stick-model (trust me! I'm not of them! lol)
- Care for your body! It is the only one you have, and we are all called to use them for the glory and advancement of God's kingdom, to the best of our abilities. Don't just say you need to work out and then do nothing! Treat your body well, and you will only see good results!
-Eat well! I cannot emphasize that enough. And I truly understand how hard that can be while we are all being bombarded with crap 24/7 in today's fast-paced world. Only you can make the decision to get the salad... over the cheese pizza. Or the fruit for a dessert... instead of the super-sized fudge sundae. Eating well provides you with so much more energy, it is invigorating! And you can feel healthy, which {I don't know about you} is so worth it to me! I love that feeling more than anything.

I hope this post was not confusing, and above all! I hope this will motivate any who want to lose weight, any who are insecure about their bodies or physical appearance, and I hope you will just get out there!
Remember... nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

xoxo forever <3
Savanna

an assignment that changed me...

Recently, my mom assigned my sister and I a school assignment of writing 100 things that we were thankful for. Sounds simple enough? Not true! It may also seem like quite a difficult task, figuring out 100 things that you personally are thankful for? Well, it was and it wasn't at the same time. It was enjoyable for me! It took more than just "writing a paper for school", it delved into the depths of my soul. Drawing out things I never knew I was thankful for! It was sweet to read my little sisters ;) Everything from the ocean, to her fingers and toes was on that list. I believe these will be items that will make me laugh someday. And amazing pieces of work I can look back on and recount just what was important to me then. Even as I look at it now, I am amazed at some of the things I am thankful for. I find myself asking aLOT, "this is really important 2 me?" I am surprised!
And this is my post for now, because I have been SO bad at posting =( sorry!
But, there will be more to come! These are simply my thoughts for today.
xoxo <3
van