Who's body fat feeds you?!?

So I'm sitting in my husband's office waiting for the construction crew to finish so was can go to dinner with our older son and his girlfriend. Currently, I'm nose deep into Anna Quinlen's book Black and Blue. Its is haunting and scary and beautiful. And I'm having trouble putting it down. I don't even mind that I've been sitting her for the last 2 hours waiting to go to dinner.

The teenagers are getting restless and keep asking when we are going to eat. I jokingly say, "Its a good thing I have enough body fat to live off of for at least a couple weeks!" Laughter from others follows, and they go back to their warped game of hangman.

Suddenly it hits me. Here I sit fueling my brain with MY body fat. Why am I not spending this time feeding myself with Him, instead?

How often are we ALL guilty of this? How many time throughout the day do we mutter a quick prayer for help finding our keys, for patience to deal with a cranky co-worker, for grace to overlook our spouse's annoying habits. How many times do we stop to actually fuel ourselves, though? After we attend morning Mass or have our devotions on the drive to work, do we spend any more time with His words for us?

There are so many resources to do this that most of us don't even think of! Turn the radio station every time you're driving somewhere to the local modern Christian music station (88.1 for me!). Pick up a book on a Saints life instead of the latest thriller novel. Read Our Daily Bread or The Word Among Us at breakfast instead of the newspaper. Turn the TV station to EWTN at night, instead of watching the newest sitcom or cop drama.

When we start to spend more time with His messages for us, we start to reflect those messages. Much like what we feed our guts affects our human bodies, what we fees our minds affects our spiritual bodies.

If we want our lives to be positive, we need to feed ourselves positive fuel. As I was reading this book, thoughts from my past started creeping in, along with all the pain and negative emotion that comes with that. Suddenly, all the many difficulties of my not easy Friday come back to mind. What had been started as a time to unwind and relax was quickly beginning to give me anxiety.

So I set the book down. And turned on 88.1 and began singing with the music. Pretty soon I find I'm worshipping. Now I'm sitting down to dinner with my amazing husband, his best friend brother man, our boy, and his girlfriend with a smile on my face and peace restored to my heart.

My past does not define me, nor do the not so smart decisions of my past. The portrait of my future will be painted by His hands. And He can only sweep the paint on my canvas if I let him.

So my challenge to you, today, is to let in the SONshine! Start intentionally exposing yourself to positive influences. You will be both amazed at the joy and peace you will experience!!!