Hello hello all!!! How is everyone's Monday going? Mine has been pretty great. Not for any reason in particular, but just a good day. It was a beautiful day with bright, sunny skies and mild temperatures. So, I opted to take a 30 minute walk with the Kenz baby before lunch. I usually spend some time in prayer/thought while taking our afternoon walks together and today was no different. I was just walking along with thoughts rambling through my head, when suddenly one just came to the forefront and stuck there.

What was it, you may ask? Well, it was about going ahead and getting certified to teach some group fitness classes. Now, I don't know WHY this thought came about. I have always had it in my head that the plan would be for me to work towards getting certified for personal training and possibly teaching group fitness classes in the future after we are done having kids (only having two, so not too too long from now) and after those kids are a bit older and in preschool at least. I wasn't even thinking about money, budgets, etc when this thought came around. It was suddenly - "Hey. Why don't you go ahead and contact your gym's head of group fitness or others in the area and see what is needed to become certified? Then, maybe you can go ahead and do it now, get on a schedule to teach just a few classes for the time being to get your foot in the door, make a little extra money (I know very little ;)), start building contacts for future plans, etc...

Here's what is going on in my head. I know I have a huge passion for fitness. I 100% plan to get into this field in the future. Teaching group fitness classes could be a relatively easy way to enter into this field - not saying it's super easy to do, but easier than going straight into training. It could possibly be a way to do something rewarding for myself outside of the home, help earn a bit extra money (every little bit helps, right?), and still be flexible enough to not be completely time consuming and a hindrance to my #1 focus of being a mother and wife first. If I did it, I would hopefully only be teaching a few classes a week - RPM, GroupKick, or Bodypump classes would be my picks! 😉

On the flip side, I also know that sometime this year we are hoping for me to get pregnant again. So, I don't want to take something on, that I may not be able to handle with pregnancy and a brand new baby. But, still - I think, if it's only a few classes, why couldn't I do that with a baby? Or pregnant? When pregnant with Makenzie I worked out up until the day before she was born, so that shouldn't stop me. And then I was back in the gym doing group classes or at home kickbox DVDs within 6 weeks after she was born. Exercise was my "me time" that I longed for. So, why not get paid for it and share my passion with others? I wouldn't want to leave anybody in the lurch, but if I wasn't teaching a ton to begin with maybe it would work out? And why put something off that I could go for sooner? Okay...lots of rambling. And I'm not sure where this is going to go, if anywhere for now. But I thought it was interesting how this option came to me out of the blue and felt like sharing it.

Now onto other things. Like my workout!!! Here's what it looked like today.

• 10 minute warm-up on elliptical
• BB Deadlift & Widegrip Lat Pulldown
• V Squat & Plated Bench Press
• Lying Hamstring Curl & Overhead DB Shoulder Press
• Cable Crossovers & Tricep Cable Pressdown
• 20 minute cardio - 3 min run : 2 min walk intervals @ 2.5 incline
• Stretch

It was a fantastic workout! Like I have said before, I love a good full body workout and all the benefits it gives me!

Last, but not least, I finished the book I was reading today. Which means a book review. Actually, I have two. This past Friday I started reading Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty because some of my old colleagues recommended it to me and they usually give good recommendations. Ummm, I could only read the first 30 pages before I had to put it away or else die from teenagedom torture. It was an extremely immature and whiny book and I could not stand it! So, I quickly switched over to this book instead:

Great Book

After You by Julie Buxbaum

As I'm sure you can tell from my caption, I loved this book! It was quite different from what I expected, based on the inside cover's description. I thought it was going to be a very predictable, girly, happy go lucky story. While parts of it were predictable, the story had such a depth to it that I did not expect. It was filled with emotion and had lots of strong qualities. From being able to sympathize with all the characters to wondering where things are really going to lead and if they will be okay, it was hard to put down. Here is a description from Amazon's website:

The complexities of a friendship. The unexplored doubts of a marriage. And the redemptive power of literature... Julie Buxbaum, the acclaimed author of The Opposite of Love, delivers a haunting, gloriously written novel about love, family, and the secrets we hide from each other--and ourselves.
It happened on a tree-lined street in Notting Hill to a woman who seemed to have the perfect life. Ellie Lerner’s best friend, Lucy, was murdered in front of her young daughter. And, as best friends do, Ellie dropped everything--her marriage, her job, her life in the Boston suburbs--to travel to London and pick up the pieces of Lucy’s life. While Lucy’s husband, Greg, copes with his grief by retreating into himself, eight-year-old Sophie has simply stopped speaking.

Desperate to help Sophie, Ellie turns to a book that gave her comfort as a child, The Secret Garden. As the two spend hours exploring the novel’s winding passageways, its story of hurt, magic, and healing blooms around them. But so, too, do Lucy’s secrets--some big, some small--secrets Lucy kept hidden, even from her best friend. Over a summer in London, as Ellie peels back the layers of her friend’s life, she’s forced to confront her own as well: the marriage she left behind, the loss she’d hoped to escape. And suddenly Ellie’s carefully constructed existence is spinning out of control in a chain of events that will transform her life--and those around her--forever. A novel that will resonate in the heart of anyone who’s had a best friend, a love lost, or a past full of regrets, After You proves once again the unique and compelling talent of Julie Buxbaum.

So, if you are looking for a good book that is enjoyable to read, not too serious but not cliche either, I would suggest this book.

And with that, I say Peace Out!!! Have a fabulous night. I'm off to watch The Bachelor. More drama, drama, drama!

And also a big thank you to those of you who read, commented on, or got anything out of my post yesterday. 😀

• For those of you who teach group fitness, what are your thoughts on it? Does what I talked about sound feasible? Or for those of you who have 'known' me for awhile, what do you think about it? I do plan to pray about this issue and take time to fully consider it, but would love all of your thoughts as well 🙂
• Do you have a TV show that is your guilty pleasure? I have The Bachelor, Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives that I keep up with. What can I say? I like TV. At least I only watch it for at the very most 2 hours a day.

....If God Is So Good??? Have you ever asked yourself this question? I believe this is a very relevant question, that many of us have faced in our personal journeys to and through our own faith and belief systems. Especially in the wake of the disaster in Haiti. In all honesty it is a great question. One that has plagued humanity for, well, for forever. I don't think I know a single person who has not encountered this question. I've asked this question myself and had people question me with this as their defense in why they don't "get" my belief. Completely reasonable to do so as well.

So, today's Good Life Sunday (aka GLS) is based off of the sermon today at my church that discussed this important faith question. It was a very strong sermon that can really get all of us thinking so I would love to share it with all of you. I know my GLS posts don't get the kinds of comments or views that other posts do, but I can't keep this message to myself. I beg of you that you all will read through this and share your own thoughts on this (openly and honestly, I have no fear ;)) and that it will be beneficial to us all.

Now on to the meat. Why do bad things happen if God is so good?? There are many attempts to answer this dilemma. On the one side is that evil and suffering are proof that there is no good or loving God. No God at all. He doesn't exist...all the bad that happens is just the way the world works and natural. But, I can't see it that way. Not only for the fact that I don't understand how someone can live without hope, but because what does that mean about all the good in the world. And honestly, despite the headlines and negativity, there is still a LOT of good in our world. Just consider Haiti. Look at the outpouring of love from all over the world that resulted in this disaster. So, as Saint Augustine put it:

If there is no God, why is there so much good?

Now onto side #2. This side claims that God allows suffering so that it can strengthen us and develop our faith. Kind of like the whole "that which does not kill me only makes me stronger" idea. Many of us have had our greatest periods of growth due to a period of difficulty. If you have been through a challenge and come out the other side, you have a renewed sense of strength, hope, and faith. Persevere through something that tries you and you will undoubtedly have a stronger character. The same idea is considered a relevant answer to why God allows bad things to happen. Early 1900's author and theologian C. S. Lewis describes God's communication in such a way:

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains! It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

It is so true that many of us, despite our beliefs, can probably be found saying a prayer during a traumatic or hurtful event in our lives. God most certainly wants to bring us closer to us, and some claim that He will use disaster to do so.

Our pastor Stuart Green, of my beloved Sugarloaf UMC, brought up turned this double sided answer on it's head. What if, there is not supposed to be an answer? What if instead of asking WHY we are supposed to ask WHAT? Instead of asking WHY do bad things happen? WHY are you putting me through this, God? WHY WHY WHY? ... what if we ask WHAT are we to learn from this? WHAT do you want to help me/us to  accomplish from this God? WHAT can be the greater purpose of this? Consider this - if we had a definitive answer, would it change a thing? Would there no longer be heartache, suffering, pain, death, disaster? No! So what benefit is there to having an answer to why? There can be a benefit, however, if we have an answer to WHAT.

It is similar to how Jesus healed the blind, deaf, sick. He didn't just give them an answer as to why they were suffering and send them on their way. Instead he cured them. So, instead of explaining to us why there is suffering, God helps to give us a new perspective of hope in times of suffering and, in turn, can help cure the pain. This doesn't mean that God allows the suffering or causes it. It simply means that in the face of hard times, if we look through the lens of faith, if we try to look through Jesus' eyes, we can see new possibilities. We can see some meaning and the good that is possible to bring to or take from the situation. Just like the millions of people across the world who have pooled funds and resources to provide aide to those in Haiti, there can be possibilities in disaster. How many of you have heard of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)? This program was started by two women who lost their child to a drunk driver. They took the hardship and found a way to bring good from it and help others. It does not make their loss any less. It doesn't mean what happened wasn't bad. It just shows that there is always possibility for good, depending on how you approach a situation. Faith in God can give us a way to understand the suffering.

You might wonder why God can't just make it all stop? If he is all powerful and almighty, then why can't he make it stop. Well, because we have free will. Which He gave to us. He doesn't want these things to happen either, but He has to allow mistakes to be made and hardships to occur. Otherwise, we would never be able to truly appreciate the complexity that is life. Imagine a life with no hurt. Then, how would you truly value joy? Suffering is part of life, and we need to learn the benefits of trusting God in it.

I'll close with these two things my pastor said that really hit home the point of his sermon:

1) INSTEAD OF ASKING "WHEN THERE IS A GOD, WHY IS THERE SUFFERING?" ... ASK INSTEAD... "WHEN THERE IS SUFFERING, WHY IS THERE A GOD?"

2) WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING, BUT WE CAN STAND UNDER ANYTHING THANKS TO GOD AND HIS STRENGTH. He will never leave us. Nothing can separate us from His love. We are not meant to understand everything. All we are meant to do is trust in Him and love. I can promise you that it will lead to a full and abundant life, despite any circumstances.

Do you believe that you can't always control what happens to you, but that you can always control how you react? Does that bring you peace? Or frustration?