A Weighty Matter.....

Edited to add:
I just received my daily scripture text and this was it.....
I Corinthians 6:20
You were  bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your bodies.
I  ♥ confirmations from the Lord!!!


Hebrews 12:1

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

"Weight" in this verse doesn't really mean what we see when we step on our bathroom scale.  But, if that physical weight slows us down, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually, then, I believe it can apply to that number that most of us dread seeing.

I've been on a perpetual diet most of my adult life.

Mom told me that even when I was a little girl, she would put me on a diet and when she would take me to Mamaw's, she would sneak me off to the kitchen and feed me mashed potatoes and that would anger my Mom.

As a teenager, my weight became a real issue.

But, at that time, it wasn't a matter of being overweight.

It was just the opposite.

I became anorexic.

I didn't binge and purge, or use laxatives.

I just quit eating.....

to the point that I became painfully thin and even quit having periods.

 I felt that what I ate was the ONLY thing I had any control over.  And, in order to please that one person who didn't want me to be overweight, somebody who is so very important as a role model in the life of a young girl......

I decided that I wouldn't be fat....

so I quit eating.

My weight fluctuated many times as I grew older.

It seemed that I would lose, but then would gain all I had lost back, plus extra.

I was recently going thru some older pictures and it saddened me to see how I allowed myself to get so overweight.  So very often I felt that my weight was such a hindrance to me as a witness for the Lord.  If I couldn't even control what I ate, why would anybody want to listen to what I had to say. I was made fun of.  People seem to think that those with a weight problem don't know it, so it's up to them to sometimes very bluntly point it out.   My paternal grandmother did this, telling me that I was "fleshy".  LOL....I can laugh at that remark now.  A couple of gentlemen at the church we attended at the time (and I use the term "gentlemen" very loosely) really hurt me by remarking very rudely about how big I was getting. Even a very young girl said something that I knew came from her grandmother. 

(let's not talk about others in front of our children and grand kids unless it's to build others up)

Now, let's fast  forward to last September.

I was invited by a friend of a friend to be a part of an on-line weight loss challenge that lasted for 6 weeks.  I debated whether to join, thinking it would be yet another failure.  Pappy and I discussed it and decided that I should do it.

The goal was to lose 6% of my body weight....

and guess what?

I succeeded.

I reached my goal!

No....I surpassed my goal.

I was somewhat shocked.

Since I began this journey in September, 

I've lost a little over 31 pounds.

Out of curiosity, I contacted WW and asked what my highest weight was they had on  record and from that weight to today I'm down 50.2 pounds.

(I actually think it's more than that)

I'm not sharing this out of pride.

Not at all.

I'm just bragging on the Lord because without Him this couldn't have been accomplished.

Pappy has been my greatest supporter.....

and my Mom.

Yes....my Mom!

You see, I'm a firm believer that God uses even the  bad things that happen in our lives for His good.....

and that's what happened when my Mom suffered a heart attack in 2011.

Our relationship has changed entirely since then.

(She has even apologized to me for some things that happened in the past)

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, 

to them who are the called according to his purpose.

2006

 2015

John 3:30

 He must increase, but I must decrease

And, if you know me well, then you had to see this coming.....

Ain't God good?

Oh, yes HE is!

Breathing in Grace,