Lose Some Weight and Gain God

It’s easy to talk about change; harder to actually do so.

In high school, I weighed about 130 pounds which isn’t so bad; I was thin.

About two years into college I started to gain weight and sadly, I now weigh 160 with a muffin top. I know that appearances aren’t everything but come on, I want to look good and feel good too.

I talk about losing weight, I research until the battery dies in my phone, and then I research more.

I still weigh 160 pounds and have a muffin top.

I know how to lose weight and I talk about losing weigh but I haven’t done anything to actually lose any poundage.

The same goes for getting closer to God or to have that relationship with Him that looks like the pastors’. If you don’t walk (or read) daily or don’t pray and meditate on the word, you won’t lose weight or gain a better relationship with Him.

Lately, there has been conflict with my sisters and I.

People take advantage of us because we love children; so they throw their children in our house and leave without a “thank you” or anything like that; the child that was going to sleepover one night is still in the house one week later.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the child and the family he/she belongs to, I love to help and love to be a part of that child’s life but remember, we also have the church in our house as well. We have responsibilities and things we have lacked before, so another thing on our plates can cause stress.

When voting whether we take a child in for a few days, I am hesitant to throw my “yes” out when I see a bunch of “no’s” already in the pile.

This time, I said it firmly that we must say “yes”.

Conflict.

The phrase “people take advantage of us because we love the kids” gets laid on the table and I am stuck for a moment.

I have seen this before; people take advantage of my father, the pastor because he is a man who usually says “yes”- spends hundreds of dollars (that we don’t have) to help and then the person disappears from the radar without saying thank you.

I honestly get angry just thinking about it (Sorry, Lord).

How do you respond to something like that? How am I to talk to them about my love for helping children? How can I say “yes” when we were just trying to explain the same thing to my father the night or two before?

The answer (what we did): complain to make the other mad

What? Really? Complain?

Yes, that is how my sisters and I solve things. We complain and complain and complain. We complain when the person we are arguing with is in front of us, we complain under our breaths, we complain when the person is still within earshot but not in the room.

That is how we usually do things

This time, however, while I was still in earshot and the complaining and insulting was happening in the next room, I remained silent.

For those who do not know me, that is not an easy thing for me to do. I have to have the last word or, at least, the loudest word. But I couldn’t say anything.

I believe it was the Holy Spirit and His use of my father’s face that said “it’s okay not to respond and frankly, it would be for the best”.

Sometimes, I just can’t imagine why someone would not respond but I figured that it won’t change anything if I responded, especially when I was upset. It was time for me to be quiet and just let it go.

In order for me to lose weight and to have enough of a relationship with God to be able to determine when is the right time to say “yes” and the right time to say nothing, is by working for it (in terms of prayer, to just be in the presence of God).

God will meet you half way; His half is done and ready, it’s just up to us to get the rest of the way there. There is already a 130-lbs woman in me, I just need to put the chocolate down and get those running shoes on. There is already a great missionary, or pastor, or children’s ministry leader in all of you, you just need to open that Bible, close those eyes to pray, or do some journaling.

How easy it is to just do it. But remember to do so quietly, do it humbly. Just like when you want to lose weight- you don’t tell everyone because the moment you want to reward yourself or are willing to work out more just to try that cookie- everyone verbally has an opinion or scoffs at you.

Nike says that right? I’m not sure but I know that God says that.

In Matthew 6:4-6:

4 Just do it - quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. 

5 "And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 

6 "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

It’s pretty clear on how and what we need to do. I personally took time to just be quiet; a few hours ago while lying on the ground with no light, after raking the leaves. Not planned and it truly was lovely. 

Now, I just need to pray and read more to figure out how to address those who take advantage of me and my family. I need to relax and remember that God has all situations in His hands it will work out tremendously beautiful in the end.