Weighty Ponderings

I know I have shared things like this before, but again today I was reminded of how much burden my body had been carrying around in the past.  I was carrying a 20 lb bag of ice up from our basement freezer and couldn't believe how heavy it felt.  I have lost over 3 times that much in weight and thought to myself "No wonder you were winded climbing steps!"  I have learned a lot through this journey and I wouldn't have traded the chance to experience it for anything. 

Some of the things I have learned are:

1.  Change takes time.  James 1:4 "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  I am still not where I feel the Lord would have me to be weight-wise but that is okay.  I didn't put it all on in 10 months time and it is going to take time to take it all off.  Besides, if it did all come off quickly, I wouldn't have the opportunity to learn obedience and the joy that comes from obedience. 

2.  God clothes the fields and He will surely clothe me.  Matthew 6:30 says "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Through generosity of friends and because I am a pack rat and didn't throw away any of the clothes from when I lost weight weight over 10 years ago, I have had plenty to wear.  Never worry about tomorrow because God already has it planned out if you are walking in obedience to His will.

3.  Exercise is a good thing.  Isaiah 40:28-31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."  Even when I am tired and do not feel like exercising, I need to trust God for the strength that I need.  More times than not, as soon as I take that first step out of the door, I feel better and have more energy after walking than I had before I walked.

I could go on, but those are the 3 big things I am learning.  Tomorrow is weigh in day and I have a feeling that I am not going to show a loss again this week but the scale may surprise me.  I was reading about plateaus in weight loss and they are actually very important because they allow your body to physically adjust to the changes in your body.  Count it all joy!  If I hadn't lost the weight, then my body wouldn't need to make adjustments.  I also read that if they last more than 4-6 weeks, then adjustments may be needed in diet and exercise to get the ball rolling again.  This will only be 3 weeks and 2 of those weeks I was in a "maintain" mode so I am not overly worried.  Besides, as stated above in James 1:4, I am a work in progress.  A work in progress requires patience.  It's all good!

Praying for you, my friends who are losing weight.  This journey isn't easy but it is so worth it!