by April Lakata Cao
Every time my husband leaves I convince myself that this is the deployment that will change everything. I mentally commit myself to cutting calories, finally taking up yoga and fit in a little cardio here and there. It stands to reason that in seven months I can-and will so help me-transform my body into a mean, lean, smokin’ hot machine. I set my sights high and start each day peeking in my closet at my coveted skinny jeans that used to slide right over my twenty-one year old thighs. I chant my personal “food is not my friend” mantra, grab a cup of hot tea for breakfast and then quite innocently make plans to meet a friend for lunch.
Our pastor gave a sermon on prayer this weekend that focused on Ephesians chapter three. God spoke to me in verse sixteen when Paul said, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being..”. God desires us to be strengthened in the very place that matters the most. Our heart! He doesn’t say that He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we may fit into our Calvin Kleins. He wants our soul and our spirit to be strong so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (Eph 14). Our primary focus should be strengthening our inner being, therefore building a solid foundation to house the character and love of Christ.
If I spent as much time in spiritual exercise as contemplating physical exercise my heart would be a perfect size six. Each and every day I would practice surrendering to the power of the living God and “put on” not my favorite pair of jeans, but the transforming power of the Holy Spirit so that He may be glorified and I renewed. If I started my day not by depriving myself of a meal, but by feasting on the Word, I would be fed abundantly with truth so that I may be filled and satisfied. The fruits of the spirit.
About the Author:
April Lakata Cao is a native of Northern Virginia and currently resides in Virginia Beach, Va., where she has just completed her eighth move in eleven years of marriage. April and her husband, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, have two beautiful children ages four and seven. As a military spouse who has experienced five deployments and countless months of separation, April shares her personal challenges and life lessons as a freelance writer. She is a stay at home mom, a reading and writing enthusiast and for the past three years has published the blog, Amazing Grace (www.intoourheart.blogspot.com) to encourage, educate and inspire adoptive and prospective adoptive parents. Not only does she have a heart for orphans, she is fiercely passionate about religious freedom and women’s rights across the globe. But above all else teaching her children to love, trust and obey God is her most precious job.
