Pressing Toward the Goal

11days ago I got serious about glorifying God even in how I eat and drink (1 Cor. 10:31).  I can report 11 straight days of doing just that - or more correctly I should say - "the Lord doing just that in and for me." 

The Lord has been with me bringing to remembrance what I have entrusted to Him when I need reminded.  Yet unlike so often before, I have stopped, listened, and obeyed - submitting to His will and allowing myself to be Spirit-controlled rather than flesh-controlled.  I've been able to look beyond the immediate desire to taste something "good", to satisfy hunger with empty calories, or to comfort myself with food.  Instead I have found satisfaction in pleasing Him as I let Him have dominion over this part of my life too.

Practically speaking, I am trying to not be so attached/driven by what I see the scale doing.  I started going to WW again at the beginning of the year and on May 9th had lost 25.8 pounds.  Then immediately spent 2 weeks making bad food choices and eating plenty of it.  I am sure I gained at least 7 pounds back (believe me, that's easy for me to do).  I was too ashamed to look, however, and avoided my home scale.

On Thursday, May 30th I made my public confession (see blog entry for that day) and commitment to glorify God in how I eat, and I forced myself to go to WW that night (which I usually avoid doing if I haven't behaved well that week).  But I didn't weigh in that night. 

Why?  I know shame and fear of seeing the reality of what I had done were big factors.  I didn't want to deal with the negative emotions/thoughts that would bombard me.  But I also was thinking "it is what it is and it will be moving in the right direction from here on out."  I determined to weigh-in the next week even if my scale showed I hadn't gotten off all I had gained back the two weeks previous.

This past Thursday (June 6) my home scales told me I hadn't returned to 25-pounds off, and I was tempted to not do an official weigh-in that night, but I had committed myself, and so I did weigh in.  Sure enough the WW scale said I had gained 1.2 pounds since my last weigh-in on 5/9/13 for new total loss of 24.6 pounds.  

I thanked God for helping me the past week and acknowledged the fact I was rightly still reaping the consequences of what I had sown, though God's grace had greatly mitigated them.  I determined to just keep myself submissive and remain faithful to my commitment to eat to God's glory.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

When I lost weight in 2008-2009, I envisioned myself on a track field making my race around the circle.  Every 10 pounds was a 10th of the track (my goal was to lose 100 pounds in one year).  I used that imagery to motivate me throughout that year.  

This time, I am not in a timed race.  Instead, I am on a long journey with a fixed destination in mind, but I am not racing against a time clock.  The goal is to make daily/weekly forward progress.  The scale may move only slightly, but I will not be discouraged, I will just keep walking forward faithfully - pressing toward the goal. 

God has a prize waiting for me:

 better health, more energy, and greater service in Christ 

living for His glory.