Confident in who I am Wednesday

**Photo taken by one of our dear friends at their auction last weekend ~ the little cowboy was relaxing after sweeping all the fall leaves off of the sidewalk.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36

I love the time I spend with the little cowboy and we always seem to have conversations that bring a great awakening to my soul. 

He's insightful, funny, quirky, & at times wise beyond his years.

For the past few weeks we have been practicing the art of soccer in our backyard.  I played basketball and volleyball in school but we didn't have soccer.  I have found that it's alot of fun and another way we can spend time together, exercise, and enjoy the beautiful fall weather.

The little cowboy said he wanted to work on his ability to kick the ball and run at the same time.  He likes playing soccer but feels he wants to improve on his coordination and his understanding of the game.  We kicked or should I say he kicked, I chased, and we really did get a good workout!  After our practice session we were sitting on our deck enjoying the fresh air and some ice water. 

I asked him what he liked best about soccer?  His reply, "Just being outdoors and playing with my friends".  He then went on to say, "Mom, I'm not really that great at sports but God has made me confident in who I am, and I just focus on having fun". 

I sat there for several minutes and looked at his beautiful smiling face. 

He smiled back and said, "Let's go kick some more so I can work on my game".

Be confident in who you are.  You are not the same person today that you were 5 weeks ago.  You are different on the inside and on the outside. 

Each weigh in week brings you that much closer to your goal.  I usually say never look back ~ it doesn't matter where you started ~ it matters where you finish.

Today I'm going to tell you to take a quick glance back to where you were at the beginning of the Meltdown.  Look at how many inches you have lost, how much weight you have lost, and most of all look at how strong you are. 

Celebrate in the confidence this Meltdown has brought to you.

For me it has brought confidence in my ability to become a runner.  I have started running, yes I said running.  I have started out small and I pace myself but I power walk for a half mile then jog for a little while, back to power walk, then jog.  It helps to increase my metabolism, endurance, & confidence. 

Just like the little cowboy I am enjoying being confident in who I am ~ just the way God made me!

Gingerbread Cake

180 calories per serving; 5 g fat; 1g dietary fiber

submitted by Tera Elliott

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray Bundt pan with butter-flavored cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Pour applesauce, molasses, and vegetable oil into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs. Stir well.
3. Blend remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients to the applesauce mixture. Stir well.
5. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack approximately 20 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm or cool.