I see you lookin... Part 1

Job 31:1 Msg
I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes.

Do you know how many times I've heard the statement, "there's nothing wrong with looking"?   Neither do I LOL...but I've heard it from men and women, various ages, single and married.  And for those who are married or in a committed relationship, I think that this is an area that often gets avoided in conversations.  It can be uncomfortable to admit if you're looking and can be embarrassing and/or hurtful for the one who has witnessed it.  "So what's the big deal?" you say "I'm not actually doing anything" and besides that, your spouse knows that you love them.   Both may be completely true, so let me challenge you to see deeper than the surface.  Just think about it...

Intentionally looking:
An attractive girl walks in the gym (a lot of my examples come from the gym LOL). You watch her come up the stairs, walk to the stretching area and follow her periodically through her workout. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?  Now, I won't get into details, but I have heard guys talk and have talked to my husband about this, so I already know that your thoughts have gone tilt.

Ladies, we're not excluded from this conversation...that well-dressed man that is just your type, walks into the coffee shop. He opens the door for an older lady and smiles at the cashier...you thinkin "oooh girl, he cute, educated and got manners"  Now how we jump to the conclusion that he's educated, I have no idea, but your mind has now taken you off into a fantasy.

Both scenarios seem innocent on the surface because there was no following action.  All you actually did, was look.  You had no communication with these people and your thoughts were completely private and therefore, no harm. no foul.  But did you know that if we look at someone with lustful thoughts, God looks at it as though we have cheated? (Matthew 5:28)  Why?  Because our thoughts are powerful!
My pastor taught on this subject the other week and he found that certain chemicals are released in the brain, when we have inappropriate thoughts, that indicate we've gotten pleasure from what we have just experienced.

Dang Lord, is it that deep?  YES!  I've spoken in previous posts about the importance of our thought life and how it is our job to keep them in check.  How can you do that, when you let your eyes feast on any and everything that is placed before them?

My challenge to you for the next few days is to become more aware of what and who you're looking at and meditating on. When you find yourself looking and thinking wrong thoughts (only you and God know), say the scriptures above, out loud. (I make it personal by saying, I won't look upon a man etc)  Ask the Lord to show you where you can improve in this area and be willing to do what it takes in order to do so.

Coming up Next...I'm going to recruit my husband to talk about bouncing those eyes :)

Top 3 for 2017

hashtag new year new you boo boo!
Usually, I'm excited for the new year; I am pumped to reflect on the previous year and write new goals for the next.  This year, however was different.  I struggled to identify my goals, including fitness and professional.  As a whole, I felt neutral about 2017, which was fast approaching.  Now that we're 2 days into what, I have now decided, will be the best year of my life [thus far], I have identified 3 goals for 2017!

hashtag goals
1. get knowledge, get understanding: Over the years, I've had many questions and I've accepted the answers that were given to me; in some cases, I settled for "I don't wanna know that bad" when I decided that it wasn't important enough to search it out for myself.  It has been almost 10 years since I completed post-secondary education and am currently in retail.  This has left me out of touch with cutting edge information and quite frankly, I have settled for "what's good, is good enough".  In 2017, I want my knowledge to reflect my desire... not only in fitness and nutrition but spiritual revelation, as well.  I'm committed to learning this year and to take it a step further...I'm challenging myself to share this knowledge with you and others!

2. quick to hear, slow to speak: ironically, I tend to have a delayed response in situations, which you would think is perfect for this goal... However, instead of taking the time to gather my thoughts before responding, I'll often dismiss a conversation with fillers before I've had time to process what was said. ("that's fine" "I know right" "Ok, cool")   Regardless of whether it's a positive, negative or neutral situation, I need to be present and willing to stay vested in the conversation, so I'm not re-evaluating dialogue that happened minutes, hours or even days before.  Thankfully, between my husband making me open up and talk through my feelings and my job, encouraging us to be open and direct with one another, I have been thrust into this openness called communication.  While I have grown leaps and bounds in this area, I realize that it is still a work in progress (even as of today), which is why the goal follows me into 2017.

3. cast all cares: For 2017 this simply means to lighten up - to throw off the unnecessary, internal, pressure I put on myself, and exchange my burden for Jesus', which is light and easy to be born.  I'm an observer and an internalizer (that should definitely be a word 😊), which basically translates into girl-you-think-too-much!  So I've walked into 2017 a lot lighter and I'm determined not to pick up any extra baggage along the way.

hashtag sum it up
The goal is to have something to contribute to the lives of those I love, listen for when it's appropriate to share, respond honestly AND in love, and don't worry about how it's received.  If I'm wrong, Holy Spirit will check me and I can First-John One-Nine that thing and keep it moving.

hashtag No Condemation
hashtag Happy New Year! 😉
-hismillennialhousewife