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To Him Who Is Able

 

TTTT: 155 pounds is the lightest I will get.
Truth: God “is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)


I put 155 in the Facebook post, but the truth is, this number has changed many times.  Back when I was over 200 pounds, the 150’s sounded like a pipe dream.  When I finally started losing weight, I thought 155 was the lightest I would get.  I remember my disbelief when I saw the 140’s on the scale.  Later, I broke that threshold as well.  The lightest I ever weighed in Minnesota was 135.  …TWENTY pounds less than what I thought my dream weight was!

Fast forward a few years, I put a lot of weight back on after moving to Texas (details in other posts).  I refocused and started dropping the pounds again.  I told myself “145 is the lightest I will get”- things were different, I had more muscles, I was older, etc., etc.  I hit 145 and bought new clothes to celebrate. 

I had momentum.  I kept training hard and eating well.  I also kept losing weight.

As the number on the scale continued to shrink, I told myself, “135 is the lowest I will go.”  “I was SO skinny in Minnesota and without all these muscles.”  I hit 135 and thought I had conquered the world. 

I had momentum.  I kept training hard and eating well.  I also kept losing weight.

I eventually broke the 130’s.  The smallest number I ever saw on the scale was 125.    I bought a pair of size 0 jeans.  To be honest, I cried in the dressing room. 

How could it be that this woman who once weighed over 200 pounds was now fitting in size 0 jeans?  How could it be that I weighed THIRTY pounds LESS than what I once thought was a pipe dream?

The answer: God.  That’s how.

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” Proverbs 21:31

Yes, I put in a LOT of work.  Yes, I made a LOT of sacrifices.  But apart from God’s grace and generously repeating himself- I wouldn’t have even known what changes to make.  I’ve lost count how many times God has used multiple sources to confirm ideas and get me to take my next step in my health journey. 

I wish I could have written this post without any numbers, because the number on the scale is NOT the point.  The point is this: I thought I knew where the finish line was.  I thought I knew what my “best” was.  But I didn’t.

God wanted better for me
than I wanted for myself. 

It’s true for you, too.  God wants more for you than you want for yourself.  We think we know what the “best” is.  We think we know what we want for ourselves and what our limitations are.  But we don’t.  God knows better, 100% of the time.  We should be spending less time and energy focusing on our goals for ourselves and more time and energy seeking God’s vision for our lives.

God has used my physical body to teach me again and again: If we are faithful, he will do far more abundantly than all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Don’t worry about where you think the finish line is.  Just show up.  Be faithful.  Be obedient.  Put in the work and trust God with victory.  I’ve learned first-hand, the victory He has planned is WAY better than what we dream up!

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to encourage you in pursuit of your health. <3

 

P.S.  I’m back up in the 140’s and I’m okay with that.


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