This morning, I wanted to go ahead and share the second installment of the “Stuffed With Emptiness” series, which means I never got the chance to share my great time from last night. We had a good one in small groups this week. Starting with the quintessential fall food: chili!!!

Too bad it wasn’t really chili weather. We’re back in the 80s here. Oh well. Air conditioning has a purpose and I couldn’t pass up this bowl of delicious from one of our group members.

I love me a good vegetarian chili, but a hearty, meaty chili like this one takes the cake sometimes. I even topped the classic chili off the classic way with some cheese and a handful of Fritos.

Yummm.

My pants couldn’t resist either.

My fingers still haven’t figured out how to hold onto things.

And my TMI threshold still hasn’t figured out an appropriate limit since I just posted a picture of my crotch on the world wide web. Crotch shots…pregnant in bikinis…cabbage stuffing bras…you get it all here, folks!

Moving on before I completely embarrass myself.

THE WALL

Last night’s discussion focused on the the topic of “faithfulness” – in the terms of persevering even in hard times.

In this past week’s sermon, our pastor shared the analogy of “the wall” that long distance runners face. The distance that suddenly wants to smack you down. The moment when you must decide to push on or give up. While much of our emphasis lay in persevering in our faith, even during trying times, I still couldn’t help but apply this concept to all areas of life.

It hit me that anything worth living for is HARD WORK.

Living a healthy lifestyle. Growing as a person. Developing a deeper faith. Training to achieve a goal. Being the best mom/wife/sister/friend you possibly can. Pursuing a passion. Loving someone.

All of those things we value most in life take time and energy. They often push us out of our comfort zones. They don’t always work out perfectly. They can hurt us. They can exhaust us. They can make us question everything.

You know what’s hard? Breaking through binge eating. You know what’s hard? Being a mom. You know what’s hard? Pouring yourself into a passion and having to sit back and trust. You know what’s hard? Having faith in something unseen.

We all have such things in life. But they make life worth living. We need faithfulness, perseverance, and commitment to reap the rewards. We’re made to break down those walls…and it will feel so good to come through the other side.

• Do you like chili? What kind and what toppings?
• What walls do you have to push through in your life?

Morning, friends!! It seems like the mornings just come earlier and earlier this week. That will happen when not getting as much sleep thanks to night time potty training. Oy! Plus, I keep feeling like it’s a day ahead. At least tomorrow is actually Friday.

About to head off to the gym now for some more treadmill fun. I plan on doing my recent treadmill interval workout again this morning since I had such a good time with it last week. It felt kind of weird printing off a workout from my own site this morning, but at least I can remember what to do in my sleepy fog.

Which reminds me – the “Print This” feature didn’t show up originally on last night’s two strength training workouts. If you were interested in those workouts and want an easy print option, I fixed it for ya!

How Do We Recognize Our Gifts And Talents In Life?

For the longest time, I would hear others talk about their passions or seem so naturally fulfilled by something they loved. It seemed like certain parts of their lives just flowed. They could somehow tune in so perfectly to their skills and really make a difference.

I felt like I stumbled through life, going through the motions, with nothing that I could call my own. Nothing that truly lit me on fire. Then came motherhood. And then came sharing my story.Then came the a-ha moment that I needed my decisions and actions to mesh with who I am at the core.

How do we even know what our gifts are? Our discussion in our adult study group this past Sunday focused on identifying two things:

Step One: What Comes Naturally To You?

• What do you enjoy doing?
• What do you spend your time thinking about that makes you happy?
• What can you do with ease while others seem to sometimes struggle?

Pay attention to those because they almost definitely add to your life, but also to others’ lives as well. Especially when you consider…

Step Two: What Do Others Compliment You On Often?

Really think about the compliments you receive most. They are people recognizing your natural talents! Strong organization? A good listener? Motivational? A creative mind?

The message we watched on this topic made a point that took my breath away:

Talk about a wake up call with that part of the discussion! I know I do that.

We don’t have to use our gifts as our careers. We don’t have to use our gifts every single day. But we should be in tune with them and leveraging every possible opportunity to use them. It will add to our lives.

I’m still learning myself, but I know paying attention to what ignites me and what I do well really helped me find me more and more. And I couldn’t be happier for where it has led me.

• What do you think are some of your gifts?
• Have you ever thought about dismissing compliments in that way?