Listen.

April 8, 2011 at 1:19 PM | Posted in Daily Inspiration, Fitness, Food, God, Health, Inspiration, Relationships | 38 Comments
Tags: cherry, overnight oats

Oh, the art of listening…after all, we have been given two ears instead of one, right?  It’s so that we can listen more intently to everything and everyone in our lives!

Imagine having just one ear.  Not only is that freaky but our listening skills would probably suffer more than they already do.

This can be either about listening to God’s call to us every morning as we wake up, or it can be listening to our bodies when they tell us to eat, sleep, and work out.

Listening closely is most indefinitely essential when it comes to our loved ones, or perhaps strangers that need a listenin’ ear for that day.

Today, I’m learning about listening in all these ways–I hope you will too! 😉 Well actually, I think God has been teaching me to listen more closely in every area in life.  So that’s always good!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and sweet wishes in regards to my sickness!  I went to the doc and apparently I’ve been fighting off the stomach flu.  Today I should be completely fine.  I’m fine enough to work out.

HOWEVER!!

There’s always that however isn’t there? 😛  I’m listening to my body!!

After sustaining my 5’1″ self for almost a whole week with porridge and soup (which I happen to love by the way)

I knew late last night and this morning that I had finally gained back my appetite, and I could actually stomach some overnight oats!!!!

So Black Cherry Almond VOO it was. It really hit the spot!

(All inspired by the awesome Angela and Thrifty’s Black Cherry ice cream)

• smashed half banana
• 1/2 TBSP chia
• 1/3 C oats
• frozen cherries chopped
• 1 C almond milk+1/4 C water
• 1/8 tsp almond extract <– I think this goes so well with cherries don’t ya agree?!
• topped with homemade granola <– finally crunchy food hooray!
• chocolate chips and PB

I dare you to try this combo!!  I did expect a stronger almond flavor, so next time I would add 1/4 tsp instead of 1/8.

Then I was certain that today would be my first workout of this week, but as the hours went by, I realized that I wouldn’t be listening to my body if I did that.

Although I’m feeling fine, somehow I duped myself into thinking that I would crank out the strongest workout ever that even ROCKY would approve. (Any Rocky lovers out there?)

As I sit here typing away, I’m realizing that my body needs to take it easy today as I have a whole slew of assignments to complete and not to mention, I just need to recover 100% once and for all!  The typical me would never do that.

You see, as my blog’s name says it–we should strive to be fit in our souls AND in our bodies and minds. I can’t emphasize enough that spiritual, mental, and physiological health are highly intertwined.

Thus, I am striving to listen up and let my body rest for today and perhaps start working out tomorrow.  You see, this wasn’t always easy for me.  Actually, even until last month I’d just work out even if I had the mother of all colds! I just love working out, but what good is it if I’m not being efficient because of it and then I get sick from it? There you have it.  I’ll practice what I preach. 😀

In addition to all that, I want to listen up to my surroundings and to what God has to say to me.  It’s so crazy! This morning I woke up saying, “Lord, in what ways can I be a better friend to others? I want to be a GREAT friend before expecting others to be GREAT friends to me.”

Then, I saw this devotional in my email.

Friendship in the Pit

April 8th, 2011 by Os Hillman

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17

“I am in there again,” I told my friend. “The pit.” A time when no one can cheer you up and you wonder if there ever was or is a God. Have you ever had such times? Discouragement can be devastating even to the best of saints. It can bring us so low. The writer of Proverbs phrased it well when he said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12). When we get so low that we despair of our belief, we can identify with the prophet Elijah who wanted to die after being so discouraged with life.

“I’m coming over,” my friend said.

“Aw, you don’t have to do that,” I said.

“I’m coming over. We’re going to pray.”

About 30 minutes later my friend walked in the door. We sat in living room and my friend began to pray. I didn’t feel like praying. I was too deep in the pit. All I could do was listen. After awhile my friend was quiet. We both sat quietly for ten to fifteen minutes, praying quietly to ourselves. Suddenly my friend said, “First Thessalonians 5:24!”

“What verse is that?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “That is the verse He spoke to me.”

I grabbed my Bible and looked up the verse. “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”

We laughed. Can He be so personal? Can He care that much? That night I grew more in my love of my two friends, not to mention being brought out of the pit.

Do you have a friend who is there when you need somebody at any hour of the day? Are you there for your friend? Ask the Lord how you can be a better friend to someone today.

Crazy timing.  Awesome.

I truly believe that our words, smiles, and encouragements hold the power to kill or give life!! I know that sounds dramatic, but please hear me out.

I mean, how much more joy would it bring to someone working behind the Walmart register or at the local gas station if we didn’t just have the attitude of,  “just give me what I need and let me out of here?” But instead, how life changing could it be to simply smile at them and GENUINELY ask them how their day is going?  Quite a difference, I say!

Not only does this heal their souls, but it heals ours as well.

Then as our souls are healed little by little, our minds and our bodies will follow.

It’s all related I tell ya! 🙂

So why not strive to listen to our bodies, to our loved ones, and to our surroundings today? No, make that everyday.  We may fail and get discouraged when that doesn’t go the way we expect it to.  But I challenge us to do it!  It didn’t go quite well today?  Well, let’s pick up where we left off!

And of course, I don’t mean a fake “hi, how are you?” but a genuine one.  I always say to myself, “if you don’t really want to know how they are, then don’t ask.”  😀

By the way…have I mentioned how amazing you guys are?! I am so grateful and appreciative of y’all that I can hardly stand it! I hope you know that you also make my day. 😉

And I would like to say congrats to Katie and all the amazing bloggers out there who raised over $3000!! I am inspired by the way that Katie listened to her conviction to help Japan in this manner, and now it’s an accomplished goal.  Awesome example!

In what ways do you think that you have to listen up more?

Do you usually listen to your body? How do you, or how do you not? I really don’t listen when it comes to working out 😛

Love,

Ellie <33