October 2015

The Heart of Mary & Martha

By Tonya Norris, P31 Fitness Franchise Owner

SERVANT HEART…. I have a sister who is 5 years older than me.  Tina and I are very close.  We talk all the time and do many things together.  Our personalities are very different, but we fit together perfectly.  We finish each other’s sentences and I know what her mood is simply by looking into her eyes.  My grandmother always said we were the perfect example of Mary and Martha.  I was of course Martha.  The one in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning and making sure every one’s tea glass was full.  Tina was always Mary. She was always more social than me and had lots of friends.  And she has a gifted character trait when it comes to sitting down and genuinely listening to some one’s heart.

Luke 10:38-42

^“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I use to think you had to be one or the other, Mary or Martha…. A few years ago, I realized that God really wants us to be both.  God desires for us to sit at His feet and worship Him.  He wants us to listen for His words of wisdom just like Mary always did.  But, He also wants us to be Martha.  He wants us to SERVE those around us.  He NEEDS us to be His hands and feet in this world.  We need to allow our HEARTS to be penetrated with God’s love, grace and mercy just like Mary did and then we need to use the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with and SERVE others just like Martha did.

So this week as we focus on having a SERVANT HEART, it is important that we shift the focus off of ourselves and reach out to those around us.  I pray that God would open our eyes and soften our hearts to the needs of others and that we would act according to His purpose.

Galatians 5:13

“Serve one another humbly in love.”

–Written by Tonya Norris,

P31 Fitness Franchise Owner

This is my sweet 19 mo old daughter – Taylor.   I absolutely love these pictures.  They made me think about a very important question that every woman should ask themselves:  “Do we, as women look in the mirror at ourselves and smile?”

If you are like most women, the answer to this question would probably be “no”.  For most of us women, we probably look in the mirror and either cringe, or we just pick ourselves apart.  We don’t like this, or we wish this was different, or we mutter negativity under our breath.  We see the reflection staring back at us, and we do anything BUT smile.  We sure don’t look like this picture above when looking in the mirror.  Sad.

At what point in our lives did we stop “liking” looking in the mirror at ourselves? And more importantly, why?

While I am not sure when that point happened for you, I am sure it was because of something or someone you faced in your life.  Someone or something started to convince you that you were not good enough.  That you didn’t have it in you. That you were not beautiful.  Those lies began to cut into you each day, and soon, you lost your belief that you were beautiful.  You may have even lost your belief that you were of value.

So, how can we fix this problem?  How can we start to see our beauty once again?  How can we look in the mirror and smile?

I have a firm belief that we can learn amazing things from young children.  Typically, a child has yet to be touched by the negative things of the world.   With a child, what they see, what they say, and what they feel are all pure and real.  There is normally an innocence that they have, in which they see themselves accurately.

Have you ever watched a little girl dress up like a princess and show off her beauty?  She BELIEVES she is enough and she BELIEVES she has a beauty to offer to the world.  She knows that God created here and that He doesn’t make mistakes.  Do we believe that?

This is one of the strongest reasons we have P31 Fitness.  We want women to be reminded of their reason to see their WORTH every day.  To see their beauty and to acknowledge that what they see is enough. That what they see has VALUE and true WORTH in God’s eyes, in the eyes of the world, and in their own eyes!!

Today, I challenge us all to look in the mirror and smile.  I challenge us to see our beauty.  I challenge us to remember who our creator is, and that He sees our worth above all.  God must be the standard in how we see ourselves.  Every women has a unique beauty of soul, and of body.  It is when women will realize that fact, her beauty shines through the brightest!

No matter what has happened to you in your life, or what has caused you to stop seeing your worth and your beauty, I hope and pray that you will stop what you are doing, and go look in the mirror – say at least one nice thing and then SMILE.

Start doing this every day, and we may just find we CAN enjoy this activity of mirror-looking once again.  SEE your beauty today! 

You are worth it, you are beautiful, you are enough! 
‪#‎powerof4‬ ‪#‎p31strong‬

–Rachel Curtis

Founder, P31 Fitness

www.p31fitness.com

Yes, that is a scale in the trash can.  Why?  Well…why not?

What purpose does the scale serve in your life?

• Does it validate you?
• Discourage you?
• Encourage you?
• Disappoint you?
• Make you obsessed with a number?
• Maybe it has served all of these purposes in your life at one time or another.  

Well – we need to be REAL about something – the scale can not tell us our WORTH as women.  

How many times have you gotten on the scale and hoped and hoped for a certain number, all to be disappointed?!?  OFTEN I am sure! Then the whole day is ruined and you start looking for the next greatest diet out there to “try”.

Been there?  Done that?

I have!!  I even had charts posted above my scale, and would mark each day’s weight.  I would beat myself up if the number was higher than the day before.  I would somehow celebrate if the number was lower than the day before.  I would have goals set out for weeks and months ahead declaring what the number WILL read by such and such date.  When I wouldn’t hit that goal date, I would get frustrated and try something else.  Then I would get back on track, try again and re-set my goals, make a new chart, gear up again, and in it all – I would stay in a very DEEP BONDAGE.

Let’s be real for a minute.  Why do we get on the scale?What does the scale tell us?

For many of us, for too long it has actually told us way too much.  It has told us if we have been good or bad.  The numbers screaming back at us have told us if we have been a successful person or a failure.  The scale has told us if we are worth it or not.  Stop for a moment and see if you can admit that you have found yourself in this place all centered around the number on a scale.

The problem with a scale, is that the more we focus on those numbers, often times we get obsessed, and do not see the results we want.  All of the sudden, the scale becomes what determines our peace and happiness each day.  That is NOT GOOD!!

Why? Because the scale is just a NUMBER.  A number!!!

I beg for us all to see the scale for what it is….a scale is simply a machine that tells us a number.  A number that we somehow have allowed to have way too much control over our lives.

Remember, that a scale CAN NOT accurately tell us:

– What we are worth

– If we are a good person

– If we did a great job at workout that day

– If we ate our fruits and vegetables

– If we loved people well that day

– If we served and helped others

– If we are trying our best.

So – let’s stop the scale saga.

Stop getting on it every day expecting for it to tell you if you are doing a good job in this life.

Stop hoping that the scale will say a number and then be disappointed when it doesn’t.

Stop this cycle.  Throw the scale away!!!! 

Instead….

• START taking care of your health because you know you need to do so
• START spending your time and energy thinking of the positive things in your life
• START eating whole foods, not just low calorie packaged foods
• START being kind to yourself and have grace

Lastly…

START realizing that your worth comes from God and not a machine’s feedback each morning.

YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN A NUMBER ON THE SCALE!!