Baked Beans: One Bowl at a Time

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Happy October 1st!!!!

It’s a new month and the first day always brings about setting goals and creating new, positive habits in our lives.  It’s a little like the first day of a new year.  We’re full of enthusiasm for new resolutions that we set our minds and heart on sticking with.  Unfortunately sometimes the zeal we start with fizzles out and we end up failing which turns to feeling bad about ourselves.  Today it is my hope that I can inspire you with my own life experience that will challenge you to reach out of your comfort zone and change one thing, JUST ONE, that will POSITIVELY point you in the direction of YOUR true north.

Several years ago, and by several I mean back in 2008 before Mom was diagnosed with cancer, I was working at a little restaurant as a server.  Let me back track by saying that I had started seriously running earlier in the year but wasn’t as disciplined as I would have liked.  I needed a push but wasn’t sure at the time just what that meant for me.

I was working a Sunday evening shift and had come in at 3:00 that afternoon.  The cook had informed me that she had made a big pot of baked beans to sell with the meals but no one, and I mean NO ONE, had ordered any.  The girl who had the early shift said she hadn’t had even one customer request the baked beans.  My being somewhat competitive with myself, I decided I would make it my goal to sell that entire pot of baked beans…one bowl at a time.  With each table that came in to order I would happily tell them all about these homemade baked beans and just how delicious they were.    Little by little, bowl by bowl, I was basically talking people into ordering them to try.  I didn’t twist anyone’s arm but I did EXCITEDLY  talk up the beans!  At the end of my shift I had sold EVERY BEAN in that pot and my tip jar was FULL!

When Mom got diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2009 my moments of running became scarce.  However, on those rare days when I was able to, running became my go-to outlet for recharging my battery while taking care of my mother.   I never had a lot of time to devote to it,  but increasing from my usual  two miles to five miles without spending a lot of time at the track had become a goal for me.   One lap around the track was a 1/4 mile so I needed to run 20 laps to get in the five miles.   Holy moly, that was a lot of laps!!!!  So instead of feeling defeated from the onset, I took a rock and drew a line in the red rock as my starting line and off I went.  With every step I took, I repeated “one bowl of baked beans at a time.”  And every time my foot crossed over the line I would say out loud, “Just 19 more laps” or whatever lap was next.  I followed this procedure until I crossed the finish line for the last time and THEN I would clap my hands and say “Whoo hooo baby, whoo hoo!”  I did this EVERY time I went to the track until it became such a habit that I didn’t need to do it anymore.  I still think about those bowls of baked beans whenever I’m beginning something I know is hard or daunting.

God is our  baked beans if we’ll let him be.  Just one bowl, or prayer, at a time.   Set your sights on him and on your goal and he will give you everything that you need to reach it.   Have faith!  It doesn’t make things easy but having faith in God ALWAYS makes things possible.

Happy Sunday 🙂