OUCH! That Hurts! Stop That!

Today was weigh in and it wasn't so pleasant.  I had gotten so messed up with everyone being sick and had failed to keep foods that were good for me on hand at home.  The lack of healthy food topped with eating out a few times has set me back...especially when one of those times included my folks taking us to Ryan's Buffet.  Restaurant food is so high in sodium and I know that while I kept up with my tea and lemon water, I am still retaining fluid :(  What have I learned from this?   I have learned that I must keep a lot of fresh fruits and veggies on hand as my go to food when I am hungry and buffets are not a good thing.  There is just something about knowing what was paid for the buffet and in my mind thinking I need to eat my monies worth.  All that being said, I gained 2.4 pounds this past week.  That hurt.  This is the first time since September 9, 2011 that I felt I had really let myself down because of choices I made.  Not only did I let myself down, I let my God down as well.  I knew better.  I know from experience that this has to be lifestyle change...not just a way of eating until I lose the weight and then go back to old habits.  In college, one of my favorite professors, Dr. Jim Berg, used to use a quote from Ken Collier, full time staff at the Wild's Christian Camp, a lot.  That quote is "Only two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self."  In fact, I use that quote often with my kids.  Guess what choice I made?  Yep...I was pleasing myself.  The food I ate was not bad in and of itself.  I did try to still make wise choices but the quantity was where I was pleasing self. 

Thankfully, I have not given up.  I am reminded that God still holds me up and gives me the grace I need to go on.  The following verse has been going through my mind a lot this morning:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

The fact of the matter is that because I am a Christian doesn't mean I was made perfect the moment I trusted Christ.  Christian's still sin. BUT I have the promise that I am being perfected by God.  This process is slow because in my humanness I get in the way because of my choices.  Thankfully the process of being perfected does not stop simply because I sin.  As I seek forgiveness, the process is restored and will continue until glory, when I see my Savior face to face.  

My will and God's will are often at war.  When I choose my will over what I know God wants for me, there are consequences.  This was shown to me this past week in my weigh in.  When I give into food cravings or eat too much, the consequence is weight gain.  When I eat the way God intended for me to eat, the benefit is weight loss. 

The verse I shared above is my hope to cling to to.  I have not lost my salvation because I sinned.  The verse says "though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand."  God loves us.  Just like a parent corrects and chastens a child, God will do something about my sin.  There is relief and freedom in the chastening process. 

Proverbs 3:11-12 says "“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”  

I can rejoice knowing God loves me in spite of my failure. I know my God still upholds me with His hand.  My friend, you too can know that God loves you.  If you are not saved and would like more information on that, I would be happy to share with you how you can know.  If you are saved, rest in the fact that regardless of our sin, God still upholds you with His hand as well. 

A song that I have sung many times, including as special music, helps me focus on the strength I have in the Lord:

Be Strong in the Lord

Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage;
Your mighty Defender is always the same.
Mount up with wings, as the eagle ascending;
Victory is sure when you call on His name.

Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And be of good courage, for He is your guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And rejoice for the victory is yours.

So put on the armor the Lord has provided,
And place your defense in His unfailing care.
Trust Him for He will be with you in battle,
Lighting your path to avoid every snare.

Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And be of good courage, for He is your guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And rejoice for the victory is yours.

Be strong in the lord, and be of good courage;
Your mighty Commander will vanquish the foe.
Fear not the battle for the victory is always His;
He will protect you wherever you go.

Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And be of good courage, for He is your guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And rejoice for the victory is yours.

You can hear this song here:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIvlYjfnD4