I remember memorizing this verse at a pretty young age and it is a verse that I go to when I feel helpless because this verse reminds me that God wants to help. You see, as we entered the Christmas season, which for our home also includes 2 birthdays and a "Gotcha Day" (the day we adopted our children), I was in near panic mode. I wanted so desperately to keep on keeping on with the better eating and weight loss and yet I feared having all the good food of the season around. Moderation has always been a struggle for me and I tend to binge at Christmas and throw in the towel because of it. It had happened many times over the years. I wanted this year to be different so I began to purpose in my heart that it would okay to say NO to things others were eating. It would be okay to pass on extra helpings. You get the idea. As I ponder Isaiah 41:10 I am reminded that God knows me so well that I can trust Him to help me with whatever my struggle is. The following I had printed off years ago but have since lost the name of the person who wrote it however I am choosing to post it here because it has been a help for me. Just know that it is not my writing:
1. Do not fear - How much of our struggle in life is centered around fear? Fear of persecution, fear of change, fear of loss, fear of conflict, fear of poverty, fear of success...God says, "I am with you."
2. Do not be dismayed - How many times have we been depressed? And over how many things? And for how long? God says, "I am your God."
3. I will strengthen you - Aren't we frequently finding ourselves weakened, given over to despair simply because we don't think we can stand up any longer? God says, "I will strengthen you." (not "you will have to find your own strength")
4. I will help you - How many times do we fail because we can't perceive our circumstances correctly, we lack wisdom, or we have no knowledge of the future? God says, "I will help you."
5. I will uphold you - How many times have we completely fallen? Like a child running through a field, when he trips, he falls on his face instead of on his knees. How many times have we crumbled beneath a weight or pressure? How many times have our spiritual legs completely given out? God says, "I will uphold you."
I purposed NOT to weigh for the 2 weeks surrounding Christmas because I knew with the extra sodium in the good foods and other variables, the scale would more than likely make me depressed when it was actually just fluctuating water retention. I also purposed to stop eating before I was completely full and yet made sure to enjoy a bite or two of my favorite things. God also had a surprise help of the stomach flu...tee hee. While I do not recommend it for regular weight loss, it did help me not eat more than I should for my birthday. In everything give thanks, right? :O) This morning I stepped on the scale and to my relief, it showed a 2.8 pound weight loss for those 2 weeks for a total of 34 lost to date. Fear thou not...He will uphold me.
No comments:
Post a Comment