Even the small things

Today, we introduce you to Kris Singleton. Kris is on the younger end of this "Titus 2" relationship....and keeps us on our toes! We have enjoyed seeing Kris's love for God and His Word grow. She is excited about Him and the changes He has made in her life. We love her, and know you will too.

Becky and Lisa


PS. We are very proud of her, too!!

Have you ever found yourself thinking something is too small or SILLY to pray about? I sure have, and recently the Lord really showed me how much he cares about every little detail of our life.

 

This year I decided to try something on my “bucket list”. A body building competition…CRAZY, I know…people really do those things?? I had always wanted to do one and realized I wasn’t getting any younger. I researched it, talked to friends who had done them and just got started, figuring things out along the way. I learned the steps I needed to take with the diet and workout and in what time frame, to look like a bodybuilder in six months. Whew, what a process it is. There was a “building” phase which consisted of eating lots of protein and lifting a ton of weights. Then a “shredding” phase which was hours of cardio and an INSANE diet, like tilapia and asparagus five times a day…for six weeks! 

Let’s just say, I went a little crazy, not a little crazy…A LOT CRAZY! I was driving myself crazy, much less everyone around me! Do you get the point….. I was CRAZY? 

I’m not sure about you, but when things get “crazy” in my life, I tend to get anxious and feel like I’m not in control. I usually start to worry and freak out about everything and in this case…cry! For example, when my diet was super strict there were many times that I busted out in tears looking at a plate of spaghetti my husband was eating and wanting to grab the fork out of his hand and inhale the entire plate! There was the time I tried to take a bite of my brother’s BBQ chicken and had a complete meltdown in front of my whole family because he said no!

Sometimes the Lord wants things to get out of control so we will turn to Him instead of trying to handle everything on our own. I realized that I had not prayed about the competition or process at all up until this point, but then thought it would be so small and silly to pray about compared to everything everyone else was going through. Really, was I going to pray “Lord, help me not to inhale the chocolate cake or cry when I see it?” 

I got so anxious at times that I wasn’t sure if I could even walk across the stage to compete even if I was ready. My anxiety was changing who I was as a person and I knew I couldn’t be a blessing or show God’s love when I was only focused on myself. My anxiety put me on my knees, and I decided that my prayers didn’t always have to be eloquent or big, but to come to Him humbly and knowing I needed Him. I prayed and gave it all to the Lord. "And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7. WOW, was there a peace. It was fun, I found it not nearly as hard as it was doing it on my own, and it wasn’t controlling me. I was excited about the competition and only because of God, I wasn’t nervous at all on the big day!

Funny thing is, the same week I gave it all over to Him, my husband (who teaches our Sunday School class) had us all share a testimony of how God has been working in our lives recently. Of course he called on me first and I was totally caught off guard, so my friend told me to share about what I have learned through the body building process. Immediately “giving it ALL to God…big and small” came to my mind and I shared the story. After class, someone came up to me and said how much they needed to hear that. I was then reminded that everything we do is to glorify Him and minister to others, even when we can’t put it all together. 

I am grateful that now when people ask what I learned from this whole body building experience, that it isn’t a specific diet or workout plan, but that I learned to give EVERYTHING to the Lord...big and small.

I am definitely not perfect at this, and probably never will be, but I encourage you to give it all to Him! Pray about it FIRST, don’t wait until everything gets CRAZY like I did. It’s a basic principle you most likely already live by, but I am so grateful He reminds us of these things even in the smallest situations.