Living and Active Challenge Check-In, Week 1: "Tied Together"

So, I promised I'd check in every Monday, and of course my Monday was so busy that I didn't have time to post till it's almost over. :)  Anyway . . . my first week of this 5 week challenge went well, and I was able to meet my goals:  4 days of exercise (alternated running/walking on the treadmill with doing Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred) and I memorized the verse for the week.  There were a few days that I was feeling super tired and highly un-motivated, so I was really thankful we only had to exercise 4 days to meet the requirements. :)  I lost a little weight at the beginning of the week, but gained it back by Sunday.  Hopefully this week will be a little better in that regard . . . we shall see!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really thankful that Clare incorporates a spiritual aspect to this challenge.  Memorizing Ecclesiastes 4:12 was so good for me, as it forced me to meditate on it every day last week.  I memorized it from the KJV because that is most familiar to me for memorizing, although I usually use the ESV for my personal quiet time and church.  Anyway, here it is: "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."  I loved how Clare put it in her little devotional: "We are stronger together than we are apart . . . The cords are not strong laying beside each other.  They aren't strong with laying on top of one another or being end to end.  The strength is in the weaving and intertwining of the three."  I'm thankful that one of my friends agreed to do the challenge along with me, and that I'm also reporting in on my blog.  There's strength in numbers!  The words about the threefold cord are so true.

But this verse seemed to apply even more importantly in a different way this week.  Some of you know that my hubby lost his part-time job that he's had for the past 2 1/2 years; we found out last Monday.  It wasn't really unexpected, as work had been slow there and he'd only worked one day in the 2 weeks before he was let go.  It was also actually a neat answer to prayer, since we'd been praying about whether he should quit, as more and more carpentry work was coming in.  But still . . . losing a source of income, even one that is only part-time, can leave you feeling a little shaky, in spite of the fact that we both felt God's peace about it.  It's been a kind of security for us, even though we knew it could end anytime.  I have often heard Ecclesiastes 4:12 applied to marriage, and that's the main way I was thinking about it this week.  In the past when work has been slow, my tendency is to worry and take out my worry on my husband, who is doing his best to provide for us.  This verse reminded me at the perfect time that Jim and I are a team, and along with God, we are a threefold cord.  When we are trusting Him and staying close to Him and each other, then we will be a stronger unit and have a stronger marriage.  When we take our eyes off Him and those ties loosen, we can easily fall apart.  I hope this makes sense--it's late and I tend to ramble when it gets late. :)  Anyway, I was thankful for this important reminder which came at just the right time for me!

I'm excited to see how Week 2 goes, and what God will teach me this week. :)