Good Morning, Girls

GOOD MORNING GIRLS! You may have clicked on the “Blogs I Follow” links right over to the right. Good Morning Girls is an account on Instagram that I started following last year. They have daily Bible readings using the “SOAK” method (Scripture, Observation, Application, Kneel [in prayer]). I usually don’t do my reading in the morning as the name suggests, however, at night after dinner is when I get my “quiet time” in with God. I make a nice cup of tea, take out my contacts, and read my Bible. The reason I enjoy following the Good Morning Girls account is because the woman who created it makes time with God a priority. Seeing it on my Instagram timeline is just a helpful reminder of something I need to do every day.

In Acts, Paul visits the brethren in Berea, and Acts says of them: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed” Acts 17:11-12a (NASB)

I’ve grown up reading the Bible, so I’m not intimidated by it. I can totally understand if someone had not had that experience, it would seem like a LOT to get ahold of. So if you have the question, “Where do I start?” I would recommend starting in the New Testament book of John. If it’s your first time through, I would read that all the way through. I would probably keep a notebook with me, writing down all of my questions as I went through it.

If this is NOT your first time reading the Bible, what do you do during quiet time?

If you follow the model above, you can read the scriptures, write down the observations, and how you need to apply the lesson in your life today. Then say a prayer.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-8 (NASB)

Focus on the good! And God is GOOD.

My new mantra:

I’m sure everyone has read my “Running” post, top to bottom, but I mentioned my favorite saying, which Tony Horton repeats in the original P90X workout series (on DVDs!! Yikes, how old am I?). “Do your best, forget the rest.”

I have developed this into my “mantra” for 2017. I have never had a mantra before, so this is very new for me and still weird. Last year was the first year I had a personal goal. I never wrote it down, and I only talked about it a few times, but I feel as though I had growth. This year, I have serious goals that I’ve written down and am (so far) clinging to. It’s only a few weeks into the year, but that’s still some progress.

Like I said in my “Running” post, I have some perfectionist tendencies (or control-freak issues, type-A personality, anything unflattering you can think of…ME). It’s very difficult for me to be open to change. As Queen Lorelai said, “As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I’m totally flexible.” Logically, I KNOW that life cannot go my way 100% of the time or even 5% of the time. If you have the ability to go with the flow, I cannot stress to you how much I wish I had a little tiny pinky toe nail’s worth of “go with the flow.” Do I seem desperate to you? I am. HAHA *insert maniacal laughter here* Anyway, I am saying this to let you know how much I need this mantra. I tend to be pretty tough on myself and everyone around me. I expect perfection. But, that’s not something ANYONE can measure up to. Now, you’re like, “Um, no kidding. I wasn’t under the impression you were perfect.” LOL Neither was I! Lol. But if something doesn’t happen the way I plan it to, I kind of have the tendency to go, “Well if I can’t do this the way I think it should be done, may as well pack it up and go home.” Which is the WRONG way to go through life.

In Phillipians, Paul talks to the church and tells them to be aware of the false teachings going on, because they will be turned from their goals, and the prize he is also trying to obtain: his home in heaven. “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul had every reason to be held back by his past. As Saul, he killed Christians, persecuted the church, and did it all in the name of God. If he were applying my mindset, he would be like, “Welp, basically I shouldn’t even try. I’m done for.” NOT SO PEOPLE. 

SO not only am I applying this to my life spiritually, I’m taking this passage and applying it to my other goals as well. Basically, Tony is basically paraphrasing Paul. Do your best. Forget the rest. With everything in life.