This morning I rolled out of bed, after spending some time praising and thanking the Lord for what He has done and continues to do in my life, and then proceeded to roll out the door to try and accomplish a decent morning run. The crisp, wet morning air accompanied with the sweet beat of worship music got my legs movin’ and I just sort of got lost in my run. Oh how I wish that would happen every minute of my day….to get lost in the praise and worship of my Lord and all distractions around me would just fade away! That is my heart’s desire, but the honest truth is that I struggle with letting the “battles” of my day get in the way of my worship and it is a moment by moment fight to win. It is only by the grace of God and a conscious choice to change my perspective of thinking according to His will that I will have victory!
It reminds me of Saturday’s WOD at Cross Fit, “Fight Gone Bad.” It sure felt like a fight gone bad (but what cross fit workout doesn’t?), but I ended up using a moment of weakness to find strength and achieve great victory (I finished!!)! In short, it went bad the first 2 minutes into the workout when I failed to clear the first box jump.
But the clock was still ticking and I had to make the choice to finish what I started even if all I could give was 80 percent. I let the encouraging words of my coach (thanks Paula!) distract me from the pain (and blood), just like I want God’s voice to carry me through my every day, through my darkest hours and my deepest hurts.
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Psalm 68:19
When I’m walking one hand with God and I’ve got a little something sweet in the other, getting through a difficult day seems like a breeze! And if that something sweet involves pumpkin, well then it makes it even that much better!
Paleo Pumpkin Crunch Granola
(inspired by ontapfortoday.com)
Ingredients:
2 cups raw almonds (chopped)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw walnuts (chopped)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 flax meal
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp pumpkin spice
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a food processor, chop almonds and walnuts to desired size.
Combine all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add coconut oil, honey, pumpkin and vanilla and stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
Spread the mixture onto your prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir carefully. Return pan to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the mixture begins to brown. Let cool completely before eating.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy!!!
I’ve been loving this mixed into my new favorite yogurt….for breakfast with some almond milk….and by the spoonfuls straight from the jar!
(source)
And today my princess Cailyn and I used it as a topping for a sweet apple-blueberry crisp…oh so yummy!!
The combination of tender fresh-picked apples and sweet blueberries was absolutely perfect for this cool day!
How do you add a little “sweet” to your day? Sometimes I can only see the the “sweetness” of my day when I move out of the way, so I pray… “Lord, empty me of ME so I can be filled with YOU!”
It doesn’t get much “sweeter” than that!
Blessings,
J’lene
This post is also shared on Simply Sugar and Gluten Free!
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