His Temple & Learning How to Care for It

So, I am on a mission, and unfortunately it's not overseas. 

I have been convicted for months, if not years, that I need to focus more on my health, and overall well-being.  The Lord has been leading me to teaching that has provided information, techniques and guidelines to health and wellness, but finally the kicker arrived a couple weeks ago.  A distributor kit and signed agreement to become an AdvoCare team with my husband.  Now, I can imagine what you're thinking...don't you have enough on your plate.  Well, maybe that's not what you were thinking, but it's what I was thinking!  And yes, as a matter of fact, I do have enough on my plate.  So much that I kept pushing myself right into the scraps and praying for God to miraculously heal and transform my body in a way that would allow me to function at my best.  Funny, I know...

I've been praying for healing since I was saved.  11+ years ago I was in a car accident that resulted in a broken ankle and leg.  Since that accident I have had 5 surgeries (3 trauma surgeries to put 2 large screws in ankle and 1 rod and lots of tiny screws in my leg - the skinny bone; 1 rhinoplasty to shave down bone growth; and then the last surgery was to remove the 2 large screws in my ankle to avoid permanent nerve damage, because the screws were shifting.)  I have also enjoyed a pain management regime that includes non-narcotic pain medicine 3 times a day that has had very interesting side effects on the rest of my body.  At the time of my injury I was told I wouldn't walk, never mind jog, play sports or dance, which I loved.  This was a pretty devastating time of my life and I didn't handle being slowed down too well.  After my first divorce, I was forced to move back home and get my head and life back together while learning how to walk and live with this new body.  I believe I've been on a mission to "accomplish things" ever since.  Those couple months of not being able to take a bath by myself didn't show me that life was precious or that I needed to really take care of my body and myself. At the time all I learned was that life was short and you better get going if you want to do all of the things that you hoped to...

For those of you that know me intimately, you know that it's rare that I slow down or take things easy.  And even now, over 11 years later with full blown end stage arthritis, chronic pain & fatigue and IBS, I'm still not too sure how to really take care of myself.  I just know how to survive and take care of others.

As I became a Christian, and really learned that my worth was in the Lord and His redeeming powers of salvation and love; a new concept started to reveal itself.  If God lives in me now, as my body is a temple of The Most High, by taking care of myself, I am honoring Him and being obedient.  This allows Him to use me in every way possible.  Now, this is something I could begin to grasp.  I love the Lord and I'm so grateful for how He is changing my life; so taking care of myself isn't really only for me, but for Him.

Which brings me to today.  32 year old married mom of 5; full-time student; learning to take care of herself.  It's a tough road and the Lord knows that I need all of the help, resources and prayers I can get.  But, because He knows me intimately, He knows that just doing it for my own sake isn't enough...so I wasn't surprised that we were led to help others just like us.  Busy, over-worked, under-appreciated (by ourselves) and needing to really learn how to take care of ourselves while focusing on our faith walk, our families and finances.  It's a lot, but He gave us a whole body of believers to partner along-side, encourage and celebrate with!
That's where AdvoCare comes in.  Because I can't work out like the average person, I need help with energy, weight loss and overall immune building.  AdvoCare has all of that and will also give me a way to contribute to our household financially, since I left my corporate job of 9+ years to be obedient to God's call on my life. 

I pray that the Lord will use our transparency and experiences to show others that taking care of yourself isn't for a season, or a phase to look good for a special occasion.  It's a lifestyle.  A way of living that God intended, so we can be our best.  And I know He's given us this challenging task because we are dedicated to learning how to make it a new way of life, and most importantly because we are willing to be used for His Glory!

You'll see more information soon about a small study/work out group we will be starting for accountability, information/resources and encouragement.  Please leave your feedback on the areas you most would benefit from information on and if you would be interested in being kept up to date on workout schedules and other resources.

God Bless you on your own journey to wholeness and health...we are here for you every step of the way!!

Greg & Lydia King
www.advocare.com/10113183
(Check out our biz website for products that might be helpful to you and your health goals~thank you for your support!)

My first loves....

After the creation of my introductory post a very important question was posed to me.  Why did I list Greg as my first love, or my high school sweatheart for that matter? 

For those that may not know my past, you might not know that Greg wasn’t my first boyfriend ever, nor was he my last high school love.  As a matter of fact, the young man I dated right after Greg became my first husband after dating from 1994 to 1998.  We eventually got married after a 3 year engagement in a wedding that was doomed from the beginning.  But I was determined to follow through with the wedding that I put together and paid for by myself, just out of my own pride and stubbornness.  We separated 6 months later and divorced afterwards, but he was definitely a part of my “love” history and many would consider him my high school sweatheart.  So why did I share that Greg was my first love and my high school sweetheart.  Well, that requires me to share that it wasn’t until recently that I understood what love really is.

Back when I was a sophomore in high school, I was desperate for love.  I lived in a pretty violent, inconsistent home and my escape was school.  I was a very good student and was involved in as many activities as was legally and humanly possible.  I had a schedule that provided a decent amount of distraction and got me out of the house, but it wasn’t enough to fill my heart.  I was hungry for love and affection in a very real and desperate way.  And like most insecure young woman, I sought it in all the wrong ways.  I did not grow up knowing Christ, so the value of waiting until marriage before being intimate with someone fell on deaf ears as I witnessed my own mother stay in an abusive, dysfunctional relationship with her boyfriend of 16 years; at that point her advice seemed pretty ridiculous and invalid to me.  My body was the only thing that I had control over, and I would exercise that control to the fullest.  After I was deeply hurt by a young man that I thought “loved me”, I became very angry and my disgust for myself led me to believe that no one would ever really love me.  And so I just thought I would see relationships like most men did:  as a tool.  Yet, deep down I was hurting and still in great need of love, encouragement, respect and acceptance.

Soon after I endured more than my fair share of self inflicted pain, Greg started to pursue me.  And not just asking me to hang out or anything, but continually flirting, talking, make jokes, following me…anything to get my attention.  But because Greg was and still is a jokester – I never took his advances seriously.  So it was months that he pursued me until I finally I got the idea that he was really interested in ME.  His kind understanding nature was a much needed instrument in mending to my wounded hurt.  We talked and I was able to share some of the trouble that I was going through – that no one at school knew about because I was too humiliated to let anyone know about that world.  Greg became my best friend and completed the title of boyfriend in a way that was convenient for my hectic schedule and needs.  I never had such an easy time talking to anyone or known someone willing to listen so unselfishly.  Of course, as life would have it, I was on a mission and too grown up for my own good.  I was making plans for the future and Greg was enjoying being a kid in high school.  We drifted our separate ways, but always maintained a wonderful love and respect that was very unique and special for me.

Of course, you know what happened after that as I provided before.  But it’s important you know the foundation of the friendship and love that I had for Greg then, as that became part of the foundation for our reuniting.  Spring forward to 2007 and I am finally waking up from many years of lost living.  I finally have found Christ and I am beginning to really understand what love is.  As John 3:16 provided me a new understanding that love was sacrifice as His word shows us that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  I couldn’t imagine giving up one of my daughters for someone else to be saved and now I was learning that God did this for the whole world, let alone for me! 

As God softened my heart, and Greg and I began to figure out how to make this newly rekindled relationship work, I realized that not only were we working through the healing of our hearts and minds; God was also restoring our ability to really love that had been stolen from both of us.  I can honestly look back on my life the 29 years prior to coming to Christ and admit I did not have a clue on how to really love, although I had been in “love” numerous times.  Granted I wasn’t too bad at the physical and immediate aspects of loving others, but it wasn’t until I read 1 Corinthians 13 that I really started learning how to apply loving as God instructs us to love.  1 Corinthians 13:3 states “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.“  It continues in verses 4 – 8 by detailing what Love really is:  “4 Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.  8 Love never fails…” 

These were such piercing realizations to my spirit as I can honestly admit I had never completely loved in these ways.  I was jealous, and I surely kept a list of all of the wrongs done to me, and even used wrongs from my past to hurt and manipulate others that weren’t even involved in the original pain.  I did not understand what submission was, and I was determined to be independent.  I swore to myself that I would never allow myself to subject to any man’s rule, command or abuse, ever.  Between my own hurts and the hurts I witnessed among the women in my family, I was convinced that remaining in control in relationships was the only way to protect the deepest parts of my heart.  After being married and divorced twice, I was in such great denial that I just shrugged it off any pain I had felt and was determined to start over, just like I always did. 

But my marriage to Greg was different.  I wasn’t the most important person, and neither was he.  Christ was…and is.  He is continually healing and teaching me how to really love Him first, then my husband, children, family and even myself.

So when I say that I married my first love, I’ve come to realize that the first relationship that I was blessed to have someone love me without keeping a count of the wrongs I had done, who was willing to protect me and trusted me even when I didn’t deserve it was with my best friend Greg; that is why I will always consider him my first real love.  I thank God each and every day that He gave me a second chance to love and serve Him and Greg the ways they truly deserve.

Welcome to my World

Hi Everyone,

This is my first official post on my new blog.  I will be the first to admit that I enjoy reading blogs, but I'm not 100% sure what to include in my own.  I actually decided to start this at the urging of one of my English professors.  She suggested it would be interesting to see how the mother of 5 (4 girls and 1 boy) a wife and a full-time returning college student does "it".  Additonally, she thought it would be wonderful for them to see things from my perspective, I guess kind of tracking our memories, sharing our silly stories, our struggles and our growth.  At first I wasn't sure what anyone would find interesting, and then I realized, even if it's just for my own therapy and joy it's worth a shot.

Please know that my intention is to be as transperant as possible while remaining tactful and avoid offending anyone.  That said it can be tough because, well, my life is pretty interesting and it definitely isn't ordinary.  We are a unique family with a pretty common story.  Both my husband and I have previously been divorced, and we are both determined to Get It Right this time!  We both brought children into the marriage; me 2 girls Yalina 8 and Yelisa 6 and he blessed me with Asiah 11, Greg III 9 (almost 10) and N'dia 8. 

Greg (my husband) and I actually originally dated back in high school.  He was my first real love (you know that loved me back and all) and we always had a special place for one another through the years.  We remained friends and communicated occassionally as I learned that he had moved from Orlando, back to his home state of Texas.  As fate would have it, our wonderful friendship would lead us to a rejoining of souls 13 years later.  We really were made for each other - as mushy as that sounds.  He is stubborn enough to not let me get my way all of the time, but loving enough to know when to let me believe that I am...

We have been married officially now for 3 years.  And what a 3 years it's been.  Aside from marrying my love 3 years ago I also had a pretty massive transformation, as I would be remiss if I didn't properly introduce myself as a follower of Christ.  I was saved Jan. 2007 but I started seeing my relationship with Jesus really change once my husband and I got married.  That's when I felt like I really was given another chance.  Now I know what you might be thinking, uh oh, she's one of them.  And yes proudly I am, although the title gets put through the ringer quite a bit now.  But for those friends and family members that knew me my 29 years prior to being "saved" you would be able to testify to the amazing turn around the Lord has done in my life...although I know there are some that like the old "fun" me better.  Aside from having such a full family life, I love the Bible and learning more and more about how to live for Him. 

I'll tell you 5 years ago I NEVER would have imagined my life as it is today.  Now I thank God that I have the chance to instill the values and the love that God has shown me and hopefully help my children see and know how special and truly purposeful their life is.  And hopefully I can help them avoid some of the destructive things I went through.  For so long I wasted my life, feeling empty and incomplete because as my favorite gospel songs says..."there was a God sized void" and I was determined to fill it with all of the wrong things in life in my desperation to find "happiness".

Well - this is just a little background for those who may know me and those who may not.  I hope that I am able to give you a little sneak peak into my crazy awesome life and share a little wisdom from God's word, my own life experiences, and the experiences of others that I love and respect.

I look forward to what this journey brings....jump on....it's a bumpy ride, but it's LOTS OF FUN!

All for His Glory,

Lydia