Saturday, April 10, 2010

Rejoice when you face trials

I work hard to be grateful for whatever God allows in my path – even in the "winter" of my weight loss process. It's tough when you feel like you are working hard/following the rules and seeing no reward. Weight Watchers calls is a plateau. (I still HATE that word.)

Thankfully, today's Bible verse was perfectly applicable and incredibly timely, "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." –Romans 5:3

A plateau is defined as a sudden slowing, or even stoppage, of weight loss. It's frustrating because you feel like you are doing everything correctly, but you see no results. You exercise. You watch what you eat. But still, no consistent forward progress.

I've been wandering through my own plateau; honestly, it feels like I am stumbling around in a dry, hot, lonely desert.

One week I gain; the next I lose. It's 2 pounds off; then 1 pound back on. One-half pound off, then 1.4 pounds on. It continued until I started to lose confidence. (Unfortunately, I didn't have THAT much confidence to begin with.) I got to the point where I was literally afraid to weigh. So, what to do?

There comes a point where you have a choice to make. Do you give up and resort back to your old ways – the times when you would comfort yourself with mounds of cookies, chips, chocolate, doughnuts, you name it? It is incredibly easy to turn back.

OR, do you continue working the plan?

Look back at today's verse. Problems and trials help me develop endurance.

Endurance is exactly what I need. If I am going to turn my life completely around, if I am going to change from being lazy and gluttonous to being healthy, active and thin, then I am going to need to endure. Let's be honest, being healthy is the benefit; but being thinner is a prize.

Endure the temptations. Endure the doubt. Endure the difficulty of making better choices. Endure myself all the way to the point where ENDURANCE turns into ENJOYMENT.

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