So here's what I want you to do,
God helping you: Take your everyday,
ordinary life - your sleeping, eating,
going-to-work, and walking-around life -
and place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you
is the best thing you can do for him.
-Romans 12:1 The Message
I feel like I've been trying to lose weight my whole life. Yes, my whole life! I remember being aware of dieting even before elementary school. The sad part is, though weight loss has taken up much of my emotional and mental space ALL my life, I've seen little, if any results. I've actually gained weight. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize there must be something deeper, some root issue allowing this wall to remain. I've tried almost everything, just like most people trying to lose weight. Some plans even worked for a season, but nothing permanent or long lasting. One summer, years ago, I lost so much weight that I was wearing a size small blouse. It was pretty amazing, but only lasted 6-8mths.
I know the weight loss facts. You know, calories in vs calories out, sugar, carbs, trans fats, and cardio work-outs. I intellectually know all this and yet my intellectual knowledge of this "junk" hasn't really helped me one bit. All it's caused is cycles of yo-yo dieting my whole life, which has only left me heavier. Being a counseling student for a few years, and a reader of many books, it's easy for me to see there is more to this whole weight loss thing than meets the eye.
If it was as simple as doing a,b, and c then everyone would be as thin as they desired to be. I mean, who in this shallow society would choose to be over weight? No one would choose it and yet here we are, for reasons only God knows! Yep that's right, God knows! I personally don't know why some are successful at losing weight and others struggle their whole life, but I have to believe and have confidence in the fact that God knows! He sees us and knows every corner and hidden room of our hearts. He understands what we can't, He knows where all the pieces of the puzzle go. It's no mystery to Him! I'm thankful that as I continue to prayer through this, that He's leading me.
When I was younger I didn't think of praying about my weight loss goals. I didn't even know God cared about such things, but as I've gotten older and grown in intimacy with Jesus, I see more clearly that God wants us to surrender everything to Him. Even calories and cardio!! So, I've been waving my white-flag concerning this issue. I've lifted my hands in surrender, asking the Lord to move mountains, and do the seemingly impossible in my life.
Over the past 2-3 years I have lost a slow 30lbs. However, in the past year I've been feeling stuck. I've gained and lost the same 10-15lbs at least 3 times, and enough is enough! As I was digging through my closet I found a book called "Weight Loss The Jabez Way" by Dr. Scott Conard. Now, I'm no sucker for propaganda and sales gimmicks, but as I read through the first few chapters I did find some interesting information. Information that's motivated me to get back up and keep moving!
My inspiration was found in Chapter 4: The Seven Healers. In this chapter the author talks about 7 "healers" - air, water, sleep, food, play, relationships and purpose- that will cause weight loss and optimum health. I know many of these "healers" are obvious, and have been shouted from every weight loss program mountain, but it motivated me - lit a fire in me to try again.
Healer One- Air
"Did you know that your body removes more waste through breathing than by any other way? If you take shallow rapid breaths, your hands and feet will get cold and you will feel tense and anxious. It takes only 3 minutes of deep breathing to restore a healthy internal balance of air. With 20 minutes of deep breathing you can significantly alter the stress hormone level of your body and move yourself toward peace and away from stress" (pg. 63 Weight Loss the Jabez Way)
Healer Two - Water
"Water cleanses and detoxifies your body. Drinking enough every day improves digestion, clarity of thought, mobility, skin health, muscle aches, etc. Are you forgetful or irritable? Do you have trouble concentrating? These can all be signs of dehydration. To get your body moving in the right direction, drink 8 to 16 ounces of water when you first wake up. When you feel like snaking, try drinking a glass of water instead. Keep drinking water each day until your urine is clear all the time." (pg. 63-64 Weight Loss the Jabez Way)
Healer Three- Sleep
Healer Four- Food
Healer Five - Play
"Play is training or exercise that you enjoy! Exercise is the best medicine for your body. You were made to move. The less you move, the less you want to move and less you are able to move. Remember, play doesn't have to be strenuous, all activity counts! Play at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. Try to get a minimum of 6,000 steps daily, if possible stretch goal to 10,000" ( pg. 66 Weight Loss the Jabez Way)
Healer Six - Relationships
"Relationships are rooted in love, and without love, people die. True friends bring out the best in you. Unhealthy relationships are stressful and actually make you sick. Choose to be in relationship with people who positively support your goals and purposes, and challenge you to grow closer to God and live a healthy life. Giving a receiving forgiveness are the keys to having healthy relationships." (pg. 66-67 Weight Loss the Jabez Way)
Healer Seven - Purpose
"Discovering your purpose unleashes your motivation for living. It is the "why" behind everything you do, including why you get up every day and go to work, why you believe what you believe and why you want to lose weight and be healthy. Know your purpose comes from discerning your gifts and talents and how and where to use them"
The "7 Healers" opened my eyes and helped confirm a few things the Lord had already been speaking to me. It motivated me to get out of this hole of discouragement concerning this issue. A few of these "healers" are already woven into my daily life, and yet others seems to continually trip me up. It's those issues in which I must keep praying and seeking the Lord.
The song lyrics that bubble out of my heart as I type this are, "You can begin again, you can believe, you can be healed, you can be free. For God is here and He will make a way."
I guess tomorrow is a new day! I'm going to begin again! I believe walls that have stopped me from moving forward will be knocked down, or God's grace will help me fly over them. Either way, it's time to start fresh. It doesn't matter how much weight I've lost and gained repeatedly this last year or so, because tomorrow I'm wiping the slate clean.
I can begin again!
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