Part 4 of 4!
Faith, Family, and Farmers Markets have been crucial parts of our #success. They are the foundational pillars of what has become a well #balanced #life. In our case, it all starts with #faith…then all else falls into place. If we’ve learned anything through the early stages of this lifelong process, it’s that on our own…we can’t do it. We can’t conjure the #strength to hold ourselves accountable. We can’t make the shift #mentally to #workout on a regular basis. We can’t bring ourselves to push past the #pain that our #bodies go through when we “hit the wall” when we workout. WE CAN’T…BUT #GOD CAN!!!
Which brings us to our more recent #pivot…the future of “butGodcan.com”.
Throughout this chapter of #transformation, Courtney and I have identified various passages of #scripture that relate to what we have experienced. We like seeing where #God has taken us (and is taking us) through the eyes of scripture. It’s a simple way of confirming we are doing His will and not focusing on #selfish gain. PLUS…who doesn’t love to read the #bible?
One word that has constantly popped up throughout our #journey is “pivot”. I’ve used it as I’ve discussed how we had to literally pivot from the #path of #unhealthy living to a path of #physical and #mental #wellbeing. Others have used the word “pivot” as they’ve described what we’ve done in their own words. AND…several of the #Sunday #sermons we’ve heard in #church (and via podcasts) over the past few months have used the word “pivot”.
I really do love the word “pivot”. It gives us this picture (and #hope) of being able to turn from a path that leads to bad #choices, bad #experiences, and bad #relationships…and choose a different path that leads to #goodness and #blessings (the Amaze-balls Path).
As we examined our newly found journey, we identified when (and where…and why) we made the choice to pivot then live a different #life. A life that better aligns with God’s #plan for us. A life that allows us to #minister to other people by sharing our experiences. A life that allows us to grow closer to God, #family, and #friends. And a life that allows us to partake in the #awesomeness that is…the #farmers market (you knew I’d squeeze that in here somewhere)!
What God started 6 months ago with the #75Hard Program is still coming through to fruition. He constantly brings folks into our lives with questions about pivoting to a healthier life…and we LOVE to talk about the strategies and hacks that have brought us success.
We’ve searched, with intensity, for scripture that best summed up our new life experiences. When we stumbled across #Proverbs 3…we knew we’d found our “life verse”. This entire passage lays out a way of life that we’ve embraced. It talks about being kind and giving abundantly from the bottom of our #heart. It covers pursuing #wisdom and being an upstanding citizen. God shows us the importance of loving our #neighbor and being #humble. If ever there was a roadmap to living a healthy and #balancedlife…this is it. The complete scripture can be found at the end of this post. What I want to focus on right now are versus 5 and 6 which read:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
~Proverb 3: 5-6
This one brief passage of #scripture (31 words) brings to light this idea of “Pivoting” and changing direction from a path of #destruction to a path of #righteousness. Pivoting from the race to #fame and #fortune to the race of #selfless #sacrifice. Pivoting from #toxic relationships to #friendships with people who love and respect us. Pivoting from addiction to #drugs, #alcohol, #food, or #porn, to a path filled with #hope and the power to overcome the #demons that have us trapped. In other words…pivoting from the things holding us back THEN #pivoting to a #God who wants us to succeed beyond our own understanding.
By pivoting from a #sedentary life dictated by #food and #laziness (sloth) to a life that centers around #spiritual, #physical, and #mental wellbeing, we were able to break #free of the #mindset that had us convinced we were meant to be #overweight and #unhealthy. We had grown comfortable in the #mediocre, and we were missing out on the #blessings God had intended for us to have.
I think back to that fateful day on that plane ride to (and from) #LasVegas (BABY) where I was “trapped” and forced to sit in a seat that I didn’t want to be in. A seat change that forced other people to abandon their #plans of sitting in a specific seat (one they had paid for) all so that the guy who couldn’t control his unhealthy lifestyle could sit somewhat #comfortably. What a dadgum shame!
While I’m on the subject, it wasn’t just #airplane seats. I had to stop going to #baseball #games because the seats were too small (OK…I was too big). I love baseball. The #path I was on was interfering with my #qualityoflife. Something had to #change!
In addition to my big #body in little spaces issue…I could not walk down the stairs in my #house (our bedroom is upstairs) without turning sideways, grabbing the wall or the handrail, and hobbling carefully at an angle…#hoping I didn’t fall (because 450 pounds falling down the stairs would not end well). Going upstairs took me #forever, and when I finally reached the top, I was totally out of #breath. Y’all…I was knocking on the door of a #heartattack! (p.s. now I can run down those stairs)
I had to Pivot! Not only did I need to #pivot, but I needed a plan that would allow me to live a better life. THANK YOU #75HARD PROGRAM!!! I have no doubt #God brought this program into my life. It literally saved my life! I didn’t just choose to pivot…I chose to #live it. I was ready to live a life of #healthy #eating, #mentalfocus, and #strength and #endurance growth.
I literally had to trust in God and not on my own #understanding of what “living” was. I had to #trust that the #path He had in store for me was far better than the path I was currently on…a path of destruction.
I had to #Pivot…Then Live It! It was a #Mindshift…not just a physical reset. It was a #choice made…that saved my life!
Why am I hammering this home??? Because we feel #God laying it on our hearts to live out Proverb 3. Not only are we going to be living out Proverb 3…we’re going to #share its #sweet #goodness with anyone. and everyone who will listen. We want the masses to #embrace this idea of “Pivot Then Live It!”
What does that mean for butGodcan.com? Basically, we’ll still be #documenting our #progress as we continue down the road to #healthyliving…but we’re going to be doing it under a new “banner”.
butGodcan.com is becoming “Pivot Then Live It! (pivotthenliveit.com). We feel this better describes the path we’re on and the road #God has in store for all of us. It’s the idea of “If you don’t like where you’re headed…then change!” With God’s #grace, #love, and #mercy…we can all do just that…pivot then live it.
We hope you will continue to track our #progress and we hope you’ll let us know how your own #health and #wellbeing #journey is going. We want to be able to #encourage and #inspire y’all…AND we want to be encouraged and inspired by y’all.
Oh…and if you find an awesome #farmers #market or #roadside #producestand…let us know!
Until next time…have a #blessed day!
~Mitch and Courtney
PROVERB 3
My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.
Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.
By wisdom the Lord founded the earth;
by understanding he created the heavens.
By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,
and the dew settles beneath the night sky.
My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them,
for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
They keep you safe on your way,
and your feet will not stumble.
You can go to bed without fear;
you will lie down and sleep soundly.
You need not be afraid of sudden disaster
or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
for the Lord is your security.
He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
Don’t plot harm against your neighbor,
for those who live nearby trust you.
Don’t pick a fight without reason,
when no one has done you harm.
Don’t envy violent people
or copy their ways.
Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord,
but he offers his friendship to the godly.
The Lord curses the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the upright.
The Lord mocks the mockers
but is gracious to the humble.
The wise inherit honor,
but fools are put to shame!
#encouragement #motivation #inspiration #love #faith #jesus #hope #god #christian #bible #believe #prayer #bibleverse #life #truth #peace #godisgood #scripture #positivity #quotes #blessed #jesuschrist #positivevibes #empowerment #selflove #trustgod #grace #inspire #pray #encourage #mentaltoughness #fitness #mindset #hard #mentalstrength #training #workout #fitnessmotivation #hardchallenge #confidence #discipline #goals #resilience #health #strength #duespaid #noexcuses #athlete #grit #coaching #success #hardwork #focus #sports
Pivot Then Live It 