When I felt prompted to start this blog last year, I knew I wanted to write for it on a consistent basis. I didn’t have any structure to it, so for 2019 I decided to make a “prompt” for myself to write to at the end of each month. A little while back God spoke a word into my heart that I wrote into the notes app on my phone so I couldn’t use “forgetting” as an excuse. The word was investment. I was challenged to think of what I am investing in each month. To me, along with investments come adventures. So that’s what this year will be about for me. Investing in things that matter and trading that in for the adventure of new places, improved relationships, and changed lives. To write of these things each month is to allow my future self to remember how God moved in my life, and to share my writing is hoping someone else may choose to invest in the important things.
January & February are usually pretty rough months for me for a number of reasons, so in anticipation, I decided that I wanted to start the year strong by intentionally investing in my health (physical & mental) and my relationship with God.
I started 2019 by completing a 21-day Daniel Fast consisting of a diet including nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole wheat grains. My intention for this was to surrender some simple luxuries within my diet, which would allow me to remember my absolute need for God when cravings for unnecessary things creep in. I spent extended time during those three weeks in prayer & other spiritual practices which allowed me to hear God’s voice & see His hand better in my life. I did this fast with my church back in my freshman year of college, but I was not successful due to what I believe were ulterior motives. Over six months before 2019 began, I decided that I would do this fast again, but do it right. I got my grandparents & my dad to join me on this journey, which was a great way to set up a support system as we often texted pictures of our meals & checked in with phone calls. I’m proud of myself for committing to this fast as I know it brought me closer to the Lord, because what He’s done in my life & in my heart since then is already irrefutable.
Since the fast, I’ve stuck with a cleaner diet which incorporates many more nutrient-rich foods than my body had been used to. I definitely won’t be cutting out cheese again anytime soon, but I think God’s okay with that. In addition to eating healthier, I’ve begun exercising more than I ever have, too. Right before the beginning of the year, I got a Fitbit and a gym membership and forced motivation onto myself to start taking care of my body. I’ve finally realized the importance of the fact that our bodies are not our own; they were bought with a price. So we should glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So I now go to the gym 5-6 times a week, follow a specific program, and keep track of how this increase in exercise affects me. I’ve already brought my resting heart rate down ten beats per minute! I have a ton more energy than I used to (which I can attribute to diet, exercise, and investing in a good old fashioned eight hours of sleep) which allows me to be a stronger vessel for what the Lord wants to do in my life.
To combat what I assumed would be a tough month, I planned a trip to San Francisco to look forward to so I could spend a few days with my best friend Jasmine. I booked my flight just a couple of weeks beforehand after frantically texting her asking if she would be free that weekend. She was finally able to show me her home, which lucky for me included countless beautiful viewpoints & places I’ve never been. Since I was fasting the first few days, we spent my last night going all out with fondue & then stopping by In-N-Out Burger on the way to the airport. My flight was at 1am, I got into Denver at 4:30am, then drove over two hours home in a blizzard before heading to work. Talk about an adventure.
adventures through a jesus lens 