For the last decade or so some part of my “New Year’s resolutions” have had a ‘weight loss’ component in them. And every year without fail I have g.a.i.n.e.d. weight—NOT lost. Cheers to consistency!

My husband got an ‘Indo Board’ for Christmas and it has led to hours of entertainment for all of us. It is a balancing board and a great core workout.  I thought my first time on it was going to be my last. I have video footage to prove it. But the more I saw my 9 and 7 year old conquer it the more brave I have become. 

My problem wasn’t getting up on the board, it was staying up. And that is when I got one of the best life lesson reminders from my 7 year old.  He looked at me and said, “If you don’t keep trying, you will never get it.” Isn’t that the truth in every area of life? He also pointed out I was looking down too much and gravity was pushing me off. He said I needed to look up, “like Peter on the water.”—I have no idea where this kid came from, but he is proving to be a Spiritual guide for me….even though there are times I am frustrated with him for his 7 year old little boy antics and ‘pain in the butt-ness’! Only 6 more days until school starts—Yippie! 

But back to the main points of this post. 

“If you don’t keep trying, you will never get it.”—It’s January 6th and I was already feeling like I ‘blew’ it this year with my ‘goals’. So I over indulged in baklava. In my defense, my mom makes the best baklava and she sent us home with a small crate of it. 

Part of what sent me on my Baklava binge was I started working out 2 weeks ago and I kid you not, I have gained weight. My husband says it’s because I am 'building muscle’. Personally, I think he is full of ‘baklava’.

So today after I drowned myself in Baklava, and had a hay-day beating myself up for the scale #’s going up, not down, I remembered this verse.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever! Amen.”

GROW in the grace… It says “grow” not “arrive”. I believe spiritual principles should be applied to all areas of life. That verse helped me remember that God does not expect to us to “arrive” in any area of our lives.

His call is to “grow” and I have realized I need to amend my goals for 2016. You see, even if I do lose the weight I want to, but I am not nice to myself along the way, that would be a tragic loss. 

My goal is to be as understanding of my weaknesses as Jesus is. I want to “grow” in grace for myself.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15 

So next time I blow it, I hope to not bury my head in Baklava. But even if I do, I am going keep pressing on toward my goal. “Failure isn’t falling down, it’s refusing to get back up.” 

Peter knew how to keep “pressing on”—the guy blew it time and time again, yet he kept persevering. I learn more from people failing and getting back up again, than never owning their failures and burying their heads in baklava or worse… 

The Apostle Paul, who some would say put Christianity on the map wrote; “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.“ Philippians 3:12 

So here is to pressing on to more grace and less baklava in 2016! I am pretty sure I just ate my yearly allotment anyway. 

Where grace abounds, freedom abounds all the more.

Cheers to 2016! 

Daily Grace to you.

Love,