Hey friends! Welcome back to another episode of Nourish to Bloom. Can you believe it? We're here at the end of 2024, and what a year it has been! Join me as I reflect on the highs, lows, and everything in between and guide you through a faith-centered year in review.
If you're looking to close out the year with a heart full of gratitude, grace, and growth and prepare yourself to bloom even more in 2025, then this episode is for you!
Key Takeaways:
- Reflections on the personal challenges faced this week, including my son's illness and our unexpected ER visit.
- The journey of starting this podcast in April 2024 and how it came to be despite initial doubts.
- Introduction to a Year in Review exercise focused on three pillars: gratitude, grace, and growth.
- Encouragement to see God's presence in every moment of the past year, whether in joy or in challenges.
- Guided questions to help you reflect on:
- Gratitude : Reflect on blessings, small moments of joy, and breakthroughs.
- Grace
: Receive and give grace, acknowledge where you may have strived for perfection, and extend grace to yourself and others.
- Growth : Celebrate spiritual, emotional, and physical growth and set intentions for the new year.
- Insights from Psalm 139 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 that remind us of God's constant presence and grace in our lives.
- A personal word for the new year: "Behold" – an invitation to watch what God will do in your life.
📣 And here's something exciting as we step into the new year! I'm hosting a Goal Setting with God workshop in February, which will include:
- Setting aligned goals with God's plan for our lives.
- Identifying and overcoming obstacles.
- Creating actionable steps to achieve our 2025 goals.
If you're ready to reflect on 2024 with a thankful heart and prepare to bloom in 2025, join me for this special workshop!
Next Steps:
Join the waitlist for the Goal Setting with God Workshop in February: Click Here to Join
Enroll in the Faith Led Food Freedom Program: Heal your relationship with food and your body. Learn more at www.karatrochta.com/foodfreedom
Book your FREE Wellness Audit Session: www.calendly.com/karatrochta/faithledwellness
Stay connected with the Nourished to Bloom Community: www.community.karatrochta.com/spaces/8590323/list
Check out the Nourished to Bloom Show Notes: www.nourishedtobloom.com
Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/karatrochta
Join The Nourished to Bloom Community: www.community.karatrochta.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/karatrochta
The Nourished to Bloom Podcast Show Notes: www.podcast.karatrochta.com/shownotes
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Well, we made it to the end of 2024 and I'd
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be lying if I said this last week wasn't a doozy for our
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family, but yet here we are at the end. And I think it's just
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natural that we spend some time to really reflect on the past
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year, to see the parts of our lives that God
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was moving and working in and really be able to
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focus on the gratitude. Because despite every
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crazy, unfortunate thing that has happened this last,
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I can honestly say 2024 was a great
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year for myself and for my family. And
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I'm honestly just so blessed
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despite all these difficulties and hardships that have
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come up over the past year. And I think a lot of it I can
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attribute to just having this faith and knowing that God is
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there all the time. And so I want to lead you through
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a little bit of a reflection exercise for this
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past year as we close out 2024, so
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I hope you'll join me. Let's get started.
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Welcome to the Nourish to Bloom podcast where your faith meets
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your health. I'm your host, Kara Trachta, a registered dietitian and
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certified Catholic coach, and I'm here to help you cultivate a deeper connection
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with your body, your spirit, and the nourishment that sustains them
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both. In a world filled with noise and
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confusion about food, health and body image, this podcast
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offers truth and healing from a Christ centered perspective.
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Together, we'll untangle the deep roots of diet culture and discover
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what it means to truly care for ourselves through joyful
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nourishment of mind, body and soul. We're here to dive into
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the transformative power of intuitive eating coupled with the rich teachings of our
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Christian faith. With every episode, I'll be cheering you on,
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offering insights, inspiration and practical tools to help you
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heal your relationship with food and embrace the beauty of your
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body as a temple of the Holy Spirit with confidence and
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courage that can. Only be found in Christ. Join me
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as we journey together towards a more holistic approach to wellness, one that
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honors the wisdom of your body as God's creation, the
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teachings of our faith, and the unique purpose you're called to
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fulfill. You were made to bloom,
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to come into full beauty and health in order to bear good fruit
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for the Lord with your life. So if you're ready to nourish your body,
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feed your soul and bloom into the best version of yourself, then you're
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in the right place. And I'm so happy you're here. Welcome
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to Nourish to Bloom, where every day is a sacred Invitation
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to Thrive. Hey there. Welcome
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back to the last Nourish to
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Bloom podcast episode for the year of
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2024. How crazy is that? I just
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started this podcast in April of this year, and that was probably one of the
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big highlights of the year. And if you ever go back and
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listen to the beginning of the podcast, you'll kind of understand where this podcast came
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from. But this time last year, I was
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having conversations with God and doing a little bit of goal setting and
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really asking God, you know, where do you want me to spend my time and
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my energy and what do you want me to focus on in this next year?
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How do you want me to serve? And he very clearly said to
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me, a podcast. And I very clearly said, nope, don't think
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that's gonna happen. And despite,
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you know, me really not believing that this would ever happen,
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God showed me the way. He really showed me that path.
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Had all these questions of, well, how would I do this? What would I do?
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And, you know, as soon as I was willing to
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entertain God's plan for me, he of course showed
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me the way and put a podcast course in
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my path for me to purchase and learn how to do this. And
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then, you know, we put the. The episodes out there and he brought
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listeners. So I'm grateful for each one of you who tune in weekly.
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I did mention in my little intro that it's been a heck of a week,
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and I really thought about not putting an episode out
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this week, but I had to stop and think, you know, just despite
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everything that's happened this last week, meaning we didn't get to travel home
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to see our family for Christmas because my middle one was
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running a fever. And it ended up being. He ran a fever for 11
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days. I took him to the ER yesterday. Turns
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out he has mycoplasma pneumonia. We spent a night
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in the hospital. He was discharged today, all the
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things. And on top of this, we're supposed to fly out to Disney World
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on Saturday for four days with the family. That
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was their Christmas present. So,
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needless to say, it's been a little bit crazy and hectic around here, but
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despite all of that, I just really have to be so grateful
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and thankful for all the blessings that the Lord has provided for us
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in this last year. And so that's kind of what I want to do today,
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is really kind of guide you, you through a little bit of a reflection, because
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as we approach the end of this year, it's only natural that we reflect
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on everything that's happened. The highs, the lows
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and everything in between. And I really want to challenge you
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to see where God was in the
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highs, in the lows, in the everything in between, in the
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everydays, and just really reflect on how he was moving
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in your life. And so I'm going to kind of guide you through
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what I kind of am calling this Faith Centered Year in
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Review exercise. And it's just designed to help you
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reflect on the growth that you've had this last year, maybe help
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you renew your focus going into the new year and prepare your heart
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to bloom in the year ahead. So
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I really kind of broke this down into
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really kind of three areas that we're looking
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at, but just growth, grace, and
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gratitude, not in that order. Gratitude, grace, and growth.
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And so that's really what we're going to focus on, because as Christians,
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we're called to really examine our lives regularly,
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that we are, you know, really not supposed to dwell on our mistakes,
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but to bring everything to the Lord and to seek his
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wisdom. Psalm 139, verses 23 through
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24 says, Search me, God, and know my heart, test me
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and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive
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way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.
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And this idea of reflection can really be this act of faith
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because it allows us to invite God into
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our story, right? The story that we are writing with him and
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acknowledge how he's been working in our lives, even in ways that we might not
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have noticed. And so, like I said, this Year in Review
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exercise is rooted in three pillars. Gratitude, grace, and growth.
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And we're going to kick it off with gratitude. So I want you
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to take a moment and think back on the year. What blessings
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has God brought into your life? And they don't have
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to be these grand or obvious things. Maybe it's
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small moments of joy. Maybe it was a
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really memorable conversation with a friend or
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moments that made you laugh with your kids. Or
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maybe after listening to this podcast, it's been a breakthrough in your
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relationship with food. And I want you to write
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down three things that you're grateful for from
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this year. And as you
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do, remember that every good and perfect gift is
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from above. So
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now I want to shift to maybe some areas that you experience, some
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challenges. How did God show up in those
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unexpected ways during those times?
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How did he sustain you? What things did he provide?
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Maybe it was tangible, or maybe it was spiritual
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or emotional, or maybe it was through the people that you were
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surrounded by. All of these
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things allow us to put on that attitude of gratitude and It's a
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way to honor God's faithfulness, even when life felt
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hard. So now let's talk
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about grace, both receiving it and giving it.
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So when you think about any goals or intentions that you set at the
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beginning of this past year, how did you feel?
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Maybe you hit some milestones or maybe things didn't really
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go as planned, and that is okay.
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We're reminded in 2 Corinthians 12, 9 that my
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grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
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in weakness. So take a minute and reflect on
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these questions. Where did you notice yourself striving
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for perfection instead of leaning on God's
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grace?
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How can you extend grace to yourself as you reflect
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on areas where you fell short?
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And is there someone in your life who needs your grace and
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forgiveness?
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And most importantly, as you reflect on these questions, this is not about
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judging yourself. This is not about beating yourself up. It's
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about the freedom and the permission to treat
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yourself with compassion and mercy, just as the Lord treats
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us that way. And finally,
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let's talk about growth. So as we reflect
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on this past year, it's important to really
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celebrate those ways that you have grown in body,
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mind, and spirit. So spiritually, how has
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your faith deepened this past year? Did
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you experience any new understanding of God's
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character or his purpose for your life?
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What about emotionally? What have you learned about
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managing stress or emotions or
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relationships? And
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physically, how has your relationship with food and your body
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changed? Did you experience moments of
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freedom, satisfaction, or peace with food and your
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body? And then think about
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one area you want to continue growing on, growing in, in the new
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year? And then pray over
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it and ask God to guide your steps.
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Philippians 1:6 reminds us, he who began a good
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work in you will carry it on to
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completion. And I really think this podcast is
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a testimony to that. I think, you know, one of the most powerful
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questions that I really asked was like, lord, where do you want me
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to focus? How do you want me to spend my time and my
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energy? And where do you want me to serve? That was really that attitude
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that I took this past year, was this idea of serving.
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And then surrender was really the word that I had
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for myself this last year, was just surrendering all the things
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that I was unsure of and just total surrender to the Lord
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and his providence, knowing that he's. He's got it right, he's got
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it. And so I don't know if you're a word of the year kind of
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person. I'm. Maybe am. I don't know. It just Kind of
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depends on the year and if anything really struck my fancy.
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But really I, I shared this in a couple
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episodes ago, but the, the Magnificat prayer and
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the idea of the word behold and how behold was really about
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calling attention to something that nobody was paying attention to.
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And when we look at the encounter that Mary had with the angel
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Gabriel and the word behold and how it was used in that and it
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was this idea of like watch, watch what
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God is going to do in this situation, in this
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person's life. And so I've really kind of taken
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that word and it's really, really meant something to me over
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the last couple of weeks and I want to carry that into the new year.
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Just this word behold and just this, this, this
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thought of like behold and watch what the Lord is going to do in
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my life and that I give him my yes,
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that I give him my fiat that Lord, let that be done
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according to your will. And I'm going to watch and I'm going to be
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so grateful and behold, watch what I'm going to be
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able to do because of, of you. And that's really kind of the
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attitude I'm, I'm taking into the the new year.
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But I really hope that this reflection has, has
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given you a moment to really be able to pause to connect with God
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and celebrate all the ways that you've grown this past year.
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And just a reminder that his grace is sufficient and his plans for
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you are good. And so just
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a couple of things going into this new year. Of course the Faith Led
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Food Free Freedom Program is always open so
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for enrollment. So if you're interested in really healing your relationship with food
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in your body in the new year, please reach out to me. You can find
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the links to sign up for the Faith Led Food Freedom Program below
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in the show notes. But that's an option that you have. And
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then I'm really looking at entertaining kind of a
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membership or mentorship type of
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program or community where each month I offer up
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a workshop and then we have three weeks of
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coaching after that workshop to just really help go
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deeper in whatever that workshop is about. And I know that I mentioned that
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I was going to do a workshop in January on goal setting with
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God. But if this last week has really taught
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me anything is that I really do
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not do well spiritually, mentally, emotionally,
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with being overwhelmed and over scheduled. And when I look
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at how Christmas break plays out with my kids, they're
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off for three weeks so they actually don't go back to school until January
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13th and I want to be able to spend that time
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focused on them. Like I said, we're going on that trip. And so when I
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really sat down and I and I looked at it and I prayed over it,
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I really felt this permission to say, I did not have to do this in
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January. So I'm actually postponing the Goal Setting with God
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workshop until February. We're going to do that the first week of
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February. You can still join the wait list. The link for that is still going
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to be in the show notes to join the wait list for when registration opens.
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But that's really going to be kind of that maybe kickoff to this
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mentorship or membership community that
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I'm going to try to build in this new year where we have a
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workshop and then three weeks of coaching on whatever that topic
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is. And so that first month would be goal setting with God. And with that,
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we're going to be able to really align our goals. Whether
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you're bringing a goal or maybe you started January, you're starting January with a
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goal. The time you get to February, you're looking to recommit
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to that. But in that first session, we're really going to look at
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setting those goals and being able to align those goals with God and his
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plan for our life. And then in the next session, we're going
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to look at obstacles and things that can come up
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and get in the way of us achieving those goals and then really work
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on creating an action plan and kind of
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steps that need to. That you need to take to help you reach whatever that
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goal is for 2025. So I'd really love have you
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join that Goal Setting with God workshop that is
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happening the first week of February. Again, you can join that wait list
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in the link in the show description. But other
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than that, I am going to close out this
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year. Just thankful that my son got to come home
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from the hospital today and that we are all going to rest
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and re energize and hunker down
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until it's time for us to catch our plane to Florida. And then we're gonna
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go spend a couple of days making some memories at Disney World
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with our family. So I hope that however you're ringing in the new
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year, that it is beautiful and it is blessed. And remember,
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beauty held as a seed. Beauty shared is the flower. It's
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your time to bloom. Thank you so much for joining me
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and I will see you next week. Take care.