Well, I sit here with my computer in front of me displaying a few open documents and a few tabs on my Safari internet browser, my earphones on, gum in my mouth, some unwritten thank-you’s next to me, and two boxes of Ziploc bags also here on the counter before me. My life. Multi-tasking.
I have a lot on my mind this thought-filled Tuesday, not because it is Tuesday persay, but because I have a few serious topics that just won’t leave my mind. Here is one of them:
Months ago I mentioned to you that my friend Caitlin and I were using this online nutrition tracker Nutrimirror. To be honest, this is an amazing tool to help someone (like me) who had absolutely no idea what I was taking in as I ate as well as no concept of how much energy I expelled during the day. This helped both Caitlin and I focus on taking in healthy foods and exercising to stay healthy (and fit).
We both had very specific reasons for using this program and logging ever bit of food we ate and exercise we did. My motivations were to be healthy and fit in order to offer to my new husband the best of what I could offer as I began married life. I also had a clear motivation in that regard to be steward of what I have been given – my body – in order to glorify God by serving my husband and being fit and healthy in order to serve Him (God) to the best of my abilities.
However, after a few months of using this program, logging and thinking about working out and eating for nutrients sort of became an obsession to both of us. We talked more about accountability in regards to logging and food intake and weight management than we did our devotions and our spiritual accountability. We… I… began to lose focus on the whole motivation I had had to start this program in the first place and became self-consumed in my food logging, exercising, and whole outlook on food.
It was about me… and me liking myself.. and me being what I wanted to be like and look like and feel like. Somehow, my focus had changed. Somehow. I say that, but I know what happened. My motivation changed, because my focus changed.
Matthew 6:19-21 says:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That last verse/sentence is the key. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Ouch.
So, Caitlin and I made some serious changes. We stopped logging.
I haven’t logged into Nutrimirror since. I treasure what I learned about vitamins and nutrients and exercise during that time when we used that site, but honestly, I feel like that whole experience was a wake-up call to me that I am not any different than anyone else when it comes to the passions and desires of the heart, the deceitfulness of sin, and the tendency for my flesh to alter something that is good to make it a sinful action.
I recently heard that it is possible to desire what is good, but when you are willing to sin to get the things you desire, you make a good thing evil. Wow. Such is the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13) and the wickedness of man’s heart (Jeremiah 17:9).
Sometimes I find myself losing focus on my priorities in just my day-to-day life as well. Do you ever experience this? Am I alone in this fight to do what I should instead of what I want?
I feel like that a lot when I’m trying to multi-task–like today. I have a great temptation to watch a movie or tv show on Hulu or just peruse and drool over cooking websites (yes, I really do this….well, not literally the drooling part). However, when I look at my to-do list, I can see I have a database to work on for youth group, an insurance phone call to make (I still need to change my name on our health insurance), bulk meat I need to split up and freeze, and few more thank-you notes that need my attention.
So, here I go asking the same old questions I asked myself when I, by God’s grace, started to see a heart change in myself regarding Nutrimirror. What is my motivation?
When I start judging my actions in that light, when I start to think about someone other than me (Gasp!!), when I start to think about what would glorify God and serve my husband, I know what I need to do. I know what my priorities are. That’s when I get excited!!!
For instance, last night, after a wonderful evening out with some girlfriends in a belated celebration of two of our birthdays, I found myself home, on the computer, dying to bake something. It would be a good thing, right? My hubby could come home from the fire station to find moist apple spice bars (I’ll write about those later…*drool*) or maybe some apple dumplings! How wonderful would that be?! However, as I thought about my hard-working man, I knew that it would be a greater blessing to him if he came home to find the wood floor swept, the dishes done, and the kitchen organized and clean. (He loves organization.)
When I thought about pleasing him, when I thought about what he would want, I was motivated, and it wasn’t too long ’til the kitchen was cleaned (despite making brownies for someone I had promised them to), the floor was swept, bills were paid, bulk chicken was cooked and de-boned (49 cents/1b at Wegmans!!), dinner was prepped for tonight, and my loving husband was home and reminding me that I could stop working and just relax if I wanted to.
Sometimes I say I just “get in the mood to be productive”, and I explain away super-productive evenings like last night. Sometimes I credit myself. In all honesty, God gets the credit for changing my priorities, changing my heart, and changing my motivations.
Feeling like your priorities are out of order? Feeling like you just can’t do what you need to do? What are your motivations?
Colossians 3:23-24:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
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Tune in next week for more Talk about It Tuesdays!
Making My Boast 
YES! 🙂 Thank you for that