Almost 40

Yea, I'm almost 40 years old.  July 20th will be my 40th year on this earth.  I've been anticipating this birthday more than any other birthday I've ever had.  For whatever reason, I feel as if I'm finally growing up.  I've had a lot of things happen to me in 40 years - so many good things and more hard things than I ever thought possible.  I've learned so many things NOT to do over the years and God has been good to teach me His ways through different situations.  This past year has been a time of reflection with the knowledge of this big birthday coming up.  I lost 66 pounds and have kept it off for almost a year.  After struggling with being overweight for most of my life, I feel like I have finally found  a place of contentment in my weight and have developed a new pattern of eating that I will continue for the rest of my life.  I am thankful to God for the strength to overcome this battle.

God has helped me overcome my outward man and now He is working on my inward man.  It is as if He is remodeling my entire being.  He is magnifying many areas of my life that is now time to work on.  Things that are popping up to change have been surprising and humbling, to say the least.  Most are things I thought I had a "handle" on but really didn't.  

I wanted to start this blog mostly for myself and to journal these golden nuggets God is giving me every day.  I don't want them to get lost in some random notebook, forever lost in a stack of papers somewhere.  The second reason to start this blog is for my children.  There will come a day when I am no longer on this earth and able to speak into my children's lives.  I have made many mistakes in life and if I can save them future heartache by them learning through my mistakes, then it will have been all worth it.  It makes me happy to know they will be able to read through this journal and see how God moved in our lives through the good and the bad.  I want this blog to a be a memorial to God for the great things He has done!

The third reason to start this blog is for other people.  I don't know who will end up reading these words, but if anything I write could help another person it would be incredible. I have heard it said that we are one relationship away from our breakthrough.  If reading one of my blogs could help another person receive their breakthrough, that would be just like God, wouldn't it?   There have to be others out there who have some of the same questions I have about life and are going through some of the same things I am going through.  

So, the journey begins, Saturday, July 11th at 12:30 pm, sitting on my creme living room couch, typing on my Mac, listening to Hillsongs "I Will Be Still."  God, I commit this project to You.  I take your hand and will walk wherever You take me.