Happy New Year, Brothers and Sisters!
Did you know that the most common New Year's resolution is to quit smoking? And number two is to lose weight. I can sympathize with the latter; it has been an ongoing resolution in my life for the past three years.
And I absolutely succeeded! I have lost about 110 pounds.
When people find out I just lost 110 pounds in just a few years, they always ask the same question: How did you do it? Atkins? Jenny Craig? South Beach? They always want to know which diet I did, or what pill I took, or whatever. "Nope," I tell them. "I did this crazy new thing called Eat Less and Exercise More." And of course I graciously accept their congratulations, but in my heart I know that losing the weight wasn't the journey; it was the beginning of the journey.
This year, my friends, is the journey. So what's my resolution for 2011? To not gain any of it back. I want to weigh the same in January 2012 as I do now, or preferrably less. And let me tell you, from everything I've heard, maintaining weight loss is a lot harder than actually losing the weight.
Because when you're watching your body change before your eyes, buying the new jeans, getting the compliments, and feeling the high of stepping on the scale and seeing a lower number than last month, it's easy to keep your goal in mind. It may be tough to pass up ice cream or go for the low-fat salad dressing (or even eat a salad in the first place), but you have that purpose firmly imprinted in your heart. And when you finally see the number, the pants size, and the body shape you want, you're proud of yourself.
But then... something happens. You start college and gain the "Freshman Fifteen" (Or fifty, as the case may be.) A loved one dies, and you turn to mashed potatoes and ice cream to comfort you. You get sick for several weeks, and you fall out of the habit of exercising. Whatever it is, something your progress off kilter. And before you know it, you're back to your old ways, because you've lost your focus. And if you don't get back on track, you'll be right back where you started.
I think becoming a Christian is a lot like that too. When you first start to learn about the Lord, it feels good. Just as the desire for a new body motivates you to give up whatever foods were keeping you from looking good in a bathing suit, the desire for a new life motivates you to give up whatever behaviors were keeping you from looking good in the eyes of God. The desire to live for Him drives you to make changes in your life. Before you know it, you're living right, or at least a lot closer to "right". Other people are beginning to notice, and you are thrilled with how living for Christ makes you feel. Things in your life are starting to fall into place, it seems.
But then, something happens. And the things that can make it harder to maintain your weight are the same things that will make it hard to maintain your Christian lifestyle. Death of a loved one, divorce (your own, your parents', or someone else's), moving, getting sick, losing your job, going to college, transitioning to a new stage in life... all of these are stressors that can lead you to break down and break out the cookie dough and the Doritos.
And if you're not careful, brothers and sisters, they can also lead you to break down and break out the sin.
So how can you keep from opening up Satan's fridge (yes, the car is God's, but the fridge is definitely Satan's) in times of stress and trials? How can you maintain the changes that you're so proud of in your life?
First of all, start weighing your spiritual life regularly and keep track of your progress.
I didn't just wake up one day 110 pounds lighter. It happened slowly, and I didn't really notice a change at first. Change happens slowly over time, but it really adds up in hindsight. This goes for bad change too. Most people probably wouldn't notice if they put on five pounds.
But those unnoticed five pounds, plus five more, plus five more that you don't really notice... it adds up fast, and it can sneak up on you. How can I tell if I'm gaining sneaky little pounds here and there? Well, I weigh myself regularly, and record it. That way, I will notice if I gain weight, so I can adjust my lifstyle habits accordingly.
You can do the same thing to help you maintain your Christian life, too. Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as just stepping on a scale, but you can monitor your spiritual progress. And keep a journal! I can't stress how important it is to write it down! That way you can go back and see what you did right, what you did wrong, and how you're doing overall. The only way to measure change over time is to record it!
Make a spiritual diet plan, and stick to it. One of the things I did to lose weight was make a list of five "problem foods"- five specific, unhealthy things I needed to eat less of. I didn't put every bad food on earth on the list. Just the five absolute worst things that I ate regularly.
So make your own spiritual diet plan. What are five "problem behaviors" that you need to cut out of your spiritual diet? I'd say my five are backseat driving in God's car, binge eating, losing my patience too easily, profanity/ taking the Lord's name in vain, and forgetting to pray. What about you? Do you struggle with laziness? Lying? Road rage? Pornography? Whatever your five things are, write them down, and refer to the list often to monitor your progress.
Do or do not, there is no "technically". In the South, we have a tendency to eat just about everything fried, breaded, and slathered in mayonnaise. But is fried okra technically still a vegetable? Technically, yes. Does apple pie smothered in Cool Whip contain fruit products? Technically, yes. So do lemon custard filled doughnuts, technically. Fried chicken is technically still in the protein group, and so are bacon bits. And although it's classified as a starch, I suppose it's okay to expand your definition of "vegetable" to include french fries, since technically, potatoes grow underground just like carrots, right? But common sense tells you that those items aren't healthy, no matter how we can "technically" classify them and try to justify it.
Lying by omission is still being partially truthful, right? Technically, yes. Even if you slept through the sermon, you still went to church, technically. And you could say that it's technically not profanity if you only use the d-word, since it's in the Bible... do you see where I'm going with this? There's right and there's wrong. There's no "technically" and no "sort of" about it. So instead of splitting hairs, use your head. Listen to God and decide what's right.
Hold yourself accountable for your progress (or lack thereof). I hit a rut back in early November of 2009, and I went from steadily losing weight to actually gaining a couple of pounds. After I broke up with my boyfriend this past holiday season, I put on several pounds as well. It's easy to say that I ate too much and exercised too little because I was in an awful situation and I was depressed. But the truth is, I ate too much and exercised too little because of how I chose to handle that difficult period in my life. I chose to use Oreos and pizza in a situation that should have been handled with faith, prayer, and personal courage.
Bad things happen; it's a fact of life. But we choose whether to give it to God or try to handle it ourselves in an unhealthy way. (See my post about letting God take control if you haven't read it already.) Whether it's Oreos or skipping church, pizza or profanity, those bad coping mechanisms aren't necessary if we choose to let the Lord take care of it.
Above all, know that you can get back on track if you've let your spiritual fitness lapse. So you've been a Christian for a while... but you've let yourself go, and now you want to be a spiritual size two again? I won't say it's going to be easy, but I will say it's going to be possible. And I'll definitely say it's going to be worth it. Just like the parable of the lost sheep (found in chapter 15 of Luke's gospel), God is searching for you! He wants to find you and bring you back to the Christian lifestyle you desire. You just have to ask Him, and be willing to go through the tough (but worth it!) process of getting back in shape.
You can do it! Whether you're still working toward a new life, trying to maintain changes you've already made, or trying to get back in shape after putting on a few too many pounds, you can do it! You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you. (Phil. 4:13) It won't be easy, but He will help you. He will make it possible.
Happy New Year again, and good luck with your resolutions! Good luck with trimming down the sin in your life, and especially with maintaining the change!
Be blessed as you go forth and glorify Him in your life.
~BYR
