Category Archives: RANDOMly Me

Need a Drink?

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I have successfully completed the first week of my ONE Thing Revolution. The first “thing” I am focusing on is my water intake.  I just don’t drink enough of this liquid love. So, for 21 days, I have committed to drinking more water. I am now up to 7.5 cups per day (yay for me!).

Our bodies are made up of nearly 75% water. At the rate I was going, I had more water leaving my body than what I was taking in! Umm… can you say “dehydrated”?! Doesn’t take rocket science to figure that one out. Problem is,  my lack of water intake was doing more harm to my body than just making me thirsty. Every function of the body is monitored by and nourished with the flow of water. Here are some stats:

  • The brain is 1/50th of total body weight but receives 18-20% of blood circulation
  • Blood consists of 83% water
  • Bone consists of 22% water
  • Water regulates body temperature
  • Water lubricates joints
  • Water carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
  • Water helps prevent constipation
  • Water protects body organs and tissues

(Check out this link for a complete list of benefits of drinking water: Top 11 Benefits of Drinking Water – You’ll Never Look at Water the Same Way)

The lack of water in physiological situations will eventually set the stage for disease conditions. So basically, I was an accident waiting to happen. Not cool people! Not cool.

All this talk of water and hydration got me thinking about folks who are spiritually dehydrated. How many individuals are pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into their careers, families, and relationships, but are dry as can be inside? They may be growing personally and professionally, but they’re dying of thirst spiritually. That’s quite a deserted life to live. :-/

Too often, we seek outside comfort for internal pain. We surround ourselves with people who lie to make us feel better. We buy things we don’t need just to feel loved and accepted by folks who don’t matter anyway. We may even smoke, drink, snort, sex, lie, cheat, steal, or buy away our internal anguish. Unfortunately, each of those methods are temporary solutions. They will leave us thirsty for more… never satisfied.

What are you thirsty for? Is it money? Is it acceptance? How about joy and peace? Let me help you out: your spirit is thirsty for Jesus. We are all spiritual beings, created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Our spirits constantly long to be loved, and filled with our Savior. When we don’t receive enough of Him, our parched spirits cry out for quenching. When we try to fill this void with anything but Jesus, we will never be satisfied. Our spirits won’t function as designed.

The Samaritan woman traveled in the heat of day just to draw water from Jacob’s well. She sought a physical refreshing. Jesus met her at the well, at her place of need. Knowing everything about her, He offered what she needed more than anything- Living Water.

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14).

Need a drink? If you haven’t already accepted Christ’s living water, it’s not too late. All you have to do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for every single sin you have ever and will ever commit. He literally went through Hell just so He wouldn’t have to live in Heaven without you.

Perhaps you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but you are not experiencing the joy of His salvation. It’s quite possible that you are depriving yourself of vital spiritual nutrients by partaking of the wrong elements. Attempting to fill your spiritual void with anything other than Jesus will not only leave you thirsty, but will ultimately cause you to become spiritually dead. You’ll be exhausted, your ministry won’t flourish, and you won’t be able to effectively carry out your purpose in the Body of Christ. Sounds pretty dry to me!

The good news is that there is water for your soul. Spend more time sipping of the Lord’s goodness and mercy, and studying His Word. Ask for forgiveness. Develop a lifestyle of praise and worship. After all, the Lord does inhabit the praises of His people! The ultimate Thirst Quencher is living on the inside of you.  He’s just waiting for you to open up and take a drink. Stop trippin’ and start sippin’!

~The Practical Chick

ONE Thing Revolution

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Dear Sick and Tired,

Twenty-one days.  That’s how long they say it takes to break a bad habit or start a new one (side note: who is “they”?) Anywho, I have quite a few bad habits to break and even more good habits to start. But breaking bad habits is no fun and creating a new one is certainly no cup of tea. So, I decided to focus on ONE thing to help me become a better person.  If I commit to doing just ONE thing every day for 21 days, I should be able to make some positive changes in my life.

I began my ONE Thing Revolution on September 1, 2011.  As of that date, there were 18 weeks left in this year.  This allotted me enough time to focus on 6 different aspects of my life to change (18 weeks divided by 3 weeks per habit = 6) so as to not enter another new year with the same old nonsense. Where would I begin? Well, that was easy: physical well-being. Yes, I am naturally slim, but I have taken horrible advantage of my physique. I love sweets (especially cake- but who doesn’t?), don’t drink enough water, don’t eat enough fruits and veggies, don’t get enough sleep, don’t get enough exercise, and the list goes on. Bottom line is that I haven’t been a very good steward of the body that God has entrusted to me. And that’s not cool.

Have you ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired? Well, that’s not good enough unless your sick and tired enough to change.  And that’s where I am.  I’m sick and tired of running on empty because I deprive myself of sleep. I’m sick and tired of being “fat girl slim” because I would rather drive past the gym instead of drive myself in the gym. I’m sick and tired of knowing that my insides are probably dry-rot because I don’t drink enough water. And Lord knows I’m sick and tired of not being a better steward of my temple (aka, my body- for those of you who don’t speak Christianese :-)).

What are you sick and tired of? What is the ONE Thing that you can change TODAY to give you more peace of mind, make you a better steward of your mind, body, soul, finances, or friendships? What ONE Thing can you focus on doing every day to become a better you?  Maybe you can stop eating junk food for 21 days. Maybe you can start reading the Bible every day. Perhaps your bad habit is a man or a woman. Or like me, maybe you just need to commit to drinking more water. Whatever it is, no matter how BIG or small, commit to focusing on just ONE Thing that you can do daily to become a better you. And make it a S.M.A.R.T. Thing: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. When you begin with the end in mind, you’re more likely to do what it takes to finish your course.

I’ll be chronicling my progress over the next few months.  Stay tuned! I hope to inspire you to start your own ONE Thing Revolution. Don’t take the same OLD you into a NEW year. A new and improved you is just 21 days away. Make that change!

Practically Yours,

~The Practical Chick