People, Patience, and Persistance

It's been a little over a month since I began my journey, a journey of lifestyle changes for optimal health and in some feeble way, a journey to make up for lost time.  There have been many things that I have learned along the way, and today's entry will be a mix of the hodge podge of those lessons learned.  I find it important and helpful to reflect along the way, for in so doing I find great strength and encouragement to continue on.

I have learned that while our struggles may look different and there is sometimes no connecting factor at all, I am not alone.  There have been so many who have cheered me on from their own corners of the world, raising hope and being pillars of strength in the weariest of times.  There is a unity and empowerment that comes when souls join together and work sacrificially towards a common good, bringing out the best in each one of us.  To those who have so faithfully given, encouraged, prayed, and applauded...thank you, I truly could not have made it this far without you.

I have learned that nothing changes overnight.  As it takes time to put on the pounds over the years, it certainly takes time to take them off.  A motivation to live healthier does not come with a good night's sleep, but with a constant reminder of where you are and an intentional look at who you hope to one day be.  I never would have believed that I am where I am today, both in the good and the bad.  Is it easy?  No.  But is there joy in the journey along the way?  Yes.  I believe there is a lot of truth in 1 Corinthians 9:14, both in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm.  I have not reached my finish line yet...I must press forward.

I have also been learning who I truly am.  I am only defined by what I allow myself to be defined by.  For years I have lived under these word curses and false identities, i.e. the chubby one, the kid that's always been big since kindergarten, the out-of-shape grandma, etc.  I was shocked today as I calculated my BMI and looked at my weight loss goals, the website referred to me as "morbidly obese."  While this may be true of my current physical condition, this is not who I am as a person.  I refuse to be defined by anything other than what my Lord and Savior Jesus defines me as.  What does He say about who I am?  Jesus says that I am more than a conqueror, an overcomer actually.

With the people surrounding me, the patience I pray for, and the power and persistence that Jesus is giving me...I will come out on top.  And as I continue to lose more of me day by day, week by week, I will gain more of Him and everything He has promised me.  Gaining by losing...yes, that is the way of my Master and His kingdom.  With 169 pounds left to go, I wait in eager and hopeful anticipation of the greater things that are yet to come!