75 Hard update!

Sorry for my recent three-month hiatus, but after I started the 75 hard challenge (check my last post) I just stopped writing. Which to be honest is not anything new or concerning. If you have been with me since 2016 you know that when I am silent, I am just learning. And rather than putting my foot in my mouth (which I’m great at) I wait until God has taught me what I needed to learn.

So, let me back track a minute for you. Back in February around the 2nd I was all pumped up about this challenge that I came across on Instagram. I was confident that I was going to crush it and even more sure that I was doing this for the sole purpose of overcoming my mind. I convinced myself that I came into this on my own accord, but as I have grown in my relationship with God, I have learned that is never the case. What does the scripture say again? “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s will that prevails.” I now have realized I plan a lot of stuff and I need to chill.

But for all my math wizzes out there, I am currently on day 64. (11 days left but who’s counting) If you do the math correctly you would see that I SHOULD have finished this thing on May 7^th, yet here I am. So, to say that I have learned a thing or two is an understatement. I think I was on day three of the challenge when I realized I had made a huge mistake. LOL just kidding. But I knew that God was doing something.

I’m going to catch you up for those who haven’t read my last post. I have tasks that need to be done daily. IF I miss any of the tasks, I must start back on day one. I think I was on day fifth teen when I had to start over. Which sucked so bad! My cousin had passed away and I had to go out of town. I convinced myself that I was not able to complete my daily tasks which in turn convinced myself that I didn’t have too. I was justified. Truth is, I got too comfortable with the “I can just start over” mentality. And the Holy Spirit spoke to me. How often do we, as believers, find ourselves in that “I can just start over” mentality? Like it’s that easy. It took everything in me to start over a 2^nd time. To motivate and hype myself up to do it all again. I had to go into this challenge in prayer, not only in prayer but in full surrender in the first place. And we act like we can just pick up where we left off and at any time at that! Easy is drinking a gallon of water a day. Easy is dropping the taco and eating a salad. Surrender and discipline is different. Easy doesn’t even belong in the same sentence.

This challenge has revealed a lot about me so far. Not only about myself physically, but my spiritual walk as well. I struggled with overcoming my mind when I started this relationship with Christ. And I struggled with it starting this challenge. I made excuses for not having all the time I NEEDED to devote to strengthening my relationship with God, yet I can spend a 1 and ½ hours strengthening my body. I can read 10 pages a day of a book that builds ME up, but not the active word of God that EMPOWERS me.  And man don’t even get me started with all the things I learned about how I eat and treat this temple of God. Relating the desires for certain types of food to my own personal desires that don’t benefit me at all. This challenge has served its purpose in more ways that one. It has drawn me into repentance.

I wanted to be fit. I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to be able to say I finished something I put my mind to and overcame. Heck I wanted to do something that honored God. But had it not been for the Holy Spirit convicting, lifting me up and strengthening me as I faced these daily tasks, I’d still be on day one or worse. It would have ended on day 15 and never looked back. Granted there are days where I do the bare minimal to get by, other days where I go hard, BUT I never quit, and I refuse start over. My mind is made up. Which is another thing we need to learn as believers. We need to make up our mind on if we are really going to walk this walk out or we going to keep pretending. But that’s a blog for another day. Lol Today is just an update on how everything is going. And to assure you that I didn’t die.

And incase anyone is wondering…yes! I lost weight. 23 pounds so far. 5 pant sizes and a whole bunch of inches lol. But most importantly I’ve gained my perspective back. This challenge is the best thing that God tricked me in to doing (just kidding), and I love how God has spoken to me through all of this. Got 11 days left and by God’s grace I know He will pull me through this! I wake up everyday telling myself that this challenge will not conquer me, I will conquer it because anyone who is in Christ is a conqueror and nothing less. Hope you believe that!

Stay blessed.