carrot/stick

how 'bout carrot ON a stick?

what motivates you?


the carrot?

or the stick?

the reward?

or the punishment?

I can honestly say, in most of areas of my life, I am motivated by the carrot.  I'm one of those people who enjoys the feeling of a job "well-done" (even better if someone says it to me!) and will work for that positive result.

When it comes to my home, the peaceful atmosphere of a clean and tidy home motivates me to scurry about, dusting and washing, sweeping and mopping.

In my relationships (including my walk with the Lord), I like to keep short accounts, if possible.  Touching base with someone regularly is much more pleasant than feeling like you have to make up for lost time, and makes me feel more ready to be authentic - less surface-y, you know?

However.

There is one area of my life in which positive results have never really motivated me.  My health.  Shameful, I know.  Maybe it's because I choose not to can't deny myself the foods I love; maybe it's because I don't like to sweat, or get red in the face, or sweat, or wear excercise clothes, or sweat.... Maybe it's because I've never really "struggled" to maintain a relatively healthy weight - thank you very much, genetics.  Even though I've had some periods of obsession with my body image and weight, anything I did wasn't motivated by being healthy and treating my body well, just by outward appearance....which was never enough to keep me going for the long run....(oh, that's funny - I've never done a long run!)

That is, until The Stick recently came into the picture.

I tried overlooking the racing and palpitating heart, but she would not be ignored.  I've adjusted my diet (somewhat) to include less beige (it's ok, cock an eyebrow if you must) because my research has shown the most colourful foods are the best for reducing stress (which possibly could be an issue for me) and great for the heart.  Think spinach, blueberries, red peppers....  It seemed to help for a bit, but now with the tightening in my chest increasing to the point where I notice it more when it stops, the stick is beating me again.  So I phoned my doctor (who I've been avoiding for a variety of reasons) and will see him this week.  I'm not sure if I hope he tells me it's all in my head or not....

Until then, here's what I've learned - for there really is more of a point to this post than to complain about my sad little problem:  Carrots are yummy and sticks are a nuisance; intentional living includes every area; the Lord gave me this body to care for and treat well as a sacrifice of praise to Him.    I may be drawn more to food that is processed to feed my need for immediate gratification and I may not like to sweat, but as the Lord calls me to His service I don't want this body to be unable to perform because of how I've treated it.  Plain and simple.

Now, I generally assume that most people take better care of themselves than I do, and maybe healthy living isn't something you spend too much time thinking about, but I hope you'll be encouraged today to give every area of your life to Him.  

I don't know about you, 

but I'm running hard for the finish line.

I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! 

I'm staying alert and in top condition. 

I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (Msg)

and feel free to offer any tips that work for you! :)