“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
- Romans 4: 18-21
 
Look up the word faith in the dictionary and you’ll find this definition:
“Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”
 
As a Christian, I’ve learned a lot about faith over the years. Faith is absolutely essential in order to walk with Christ. It takes faith to believe that God exists and that He is all powerful, omnipotent, omnipresent, loving, gracious, and merciful. It takes faith to believe that this God hears me when I speak out loud to Him in prayer. It takes faith to believe that God has three personas, one being Jesus Christ who came to earth as a human and died for my sins. That’s a lot of faith! But all these levels of faith are elementary in comparison to the faith spoken of in the verse above, Abraham’s faith…
 
The Bible says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” I read this recently and it struck me. I was literally shook. What does this mean??
 
In short it means that in a situation that was hopeless, Abraham still had hope. So for those who might not be familiar with Abraham, let me paint the scene for you. God promised this man that he would be the father of many nations and that his descendents would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. And yet, by the ripe old age of 99 he still had not had children. His wife was barren – her womb was dusty and there was NO earthly hope that she could conceive a child. And yet, Abraham still believed in the promise that God had spoken. God’s word was enough. Against ALL HOPE, he BELIEVED.

​What does is take to believe God even when all hope seems to be lost?
It takes F A I T H.
Faith is the heartfelt and whole-hearted belief in something that hasn’t happened yet.
Faith is the vehicle that God uses to work miracles.
Faith is more about WHO you’re putting your faith in than it is the miracle itself.
Faith is transformative – as you believe God, you grow closer to Him and your mindset shifts towards what is possible with Him versus what is possible in your own might.
 
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”
- Hebrews 11: 1, 2
 
If you’re like me, you probably see Abraham’s great faith, are inspired by it, and are wondering how can I build up my own faith? Here are a few thoughts.

1. Read the word of God, specifically stories where God came through in a big way. Stories like Abraham’s are inspiring and will help you build your own faith. Think of people like Daniel and David who did amazing things in God’s name. Faith was the vehicle that took them from where they were to a place of miracles.
2. Pray for faith. This is such a simple prayer and we should all be praying this daily. It takes faith to even pray for faith LOL. But try it out! God truly does hear our prayers and acts on our behalf as a result of them. You have nothing to lose.
3. Listen for God’s voice to hear what He is calling you to. Abraham’s act of faith began with a promise from God. There are many promises in the word of God, but there are also specific promises He has for you and your family. Spend quiet time in His presence and listen for His still, small voice.

 
I’m praying that everyone who reads this will have an increased faith, a faith much like Abraham had. I know God is able to do this, and He will. Keep on blooming and building your faith.
 
<3 Beryl

These days there’s a lot of talk about #quarantine15 and all the extra weight people are gaining while staying at home.  Unlike the #quarantine15 trend, I’ve personally been able lose weight over the past couple months and I’m proud of myself! My weight and fitness haven’t always been consistent over the years, but I make a solid effort to exercise regularly and eat right. This lifestyle began for me sometime during college as I was studying physiology and the importance of exercise for overall health. At that time, I felt inspired to make exercise part of my weekly routine. It’s never been easy, and it especially isn’t easy now as a full time working mom, but I believe that with determination, consistency, and the right systems in place, it is possible. I’m here to inspire you to take your own health into your hands, and make lifestyle changes that will benefit your health in the long term.
 
As part of this discussion on overall health, I do have a confession – I love anything and everything chocolate flavored AND I also love French fries. Those are just a FEW of the junk foods I like to reach for. The good thing is that even with my sweet and salty cravings, I also value a healthy diet. It’s all about balance. A balanced, healthy diet is so important, but we all deserve to enjoy ourselves from time to time with our favorite cheat foods. Let me briefly discuss the ways I stay physically healthy even with my busy schedule and hopefully you can incorporate something you read here!

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1. Eating a mainly plant based diet and tracking my calories on an app – I’ve been a vegetarian for a few years and I quickly found that cutting meat out of my diet keeps my meals lower in calories and excess fats. Also, I use the app My Fitness Pal to count my calories for the day. This seems way more tedious than it is! I simply monitor and input what I’m eating throughout the day and this helps me to make decisions as to what I can snack on and how to plan out my meals. This is probably the main way I’ve been able to lose weight.
2. Finding lower calorie/healthier versions of my favorite unhealthy foods – so instead of a big bag of doritos, I might reach for 9 sweet potato chips which is only 140 calories. Or instead of a brownie, I can snack on a chocolate peanut butter Kind bar which is 200lf calories. Another great snack I eat just about every day is an apple and grapes. You can never go wrong with fruit since it’s in its purest form and unprocessed and it tends to be very low in calories.
3. Monitoring my activity level with my apple watch – I just got this watch about a month ago and I’ve already noticed how motivated I am to take more steps and reach my goals each day! A fitbit would do the same. Once you’re aware of how much you’re moving, then it’s easier to set higher goals and work to achieve them.
4. Doing high intensity interval training workouts 3 times a week, especially those focused on core and strength training from Popsugar Fitness (linked below) – High intensity interval training involves “cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods.” The workouts tend to last 30 minutes altogether and work to burn fat and tone muscles. I’ve seen a dramatic difference in my stamina. Try it for yourself! It’s very hard at first but definitely gets “easier” with time.

 
These are just a few of my habits for staying healthy and staying active. None of them are easy but with time, if you incorporate them into your lifestyle you will see positive results! What do you do to stay fit?? Leave a comment down below!
 
<3 Beryl