How I’m Gaining Victory Over My Weight Issues
One of God’s rules that’s become very real to me over the past year or so is to treat my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s changed my life.
Years ago I attended a workshop about learning styles. The teacher talked about how they affect the way people respond to rules.
One learning style—concrete random, if I remember correctly—sees no need for following rules if they don’t seem logical.
Ignoring rules that don’t make sense
The teacher gave an example from her own life. She said that she lived in a city with several large shopping centres. “The parking lots have stop signs,” she said. “Some of them are in stupid places. I’ll slow down and look both ways, but I won’t come to a full stop because their placement makes no sense.”
She gave a second example, this one about escalators in stores. “The escalators have signs that say strollers aren’t allowed,” she said. “One day I went shopping with a friend who took her stroller with us. She read the sign on the escalator and immediately turned around to look for the elevator, but I stopped her. I said to her, ‘Watch this.’ Then I put the stroller on the escalator and went up without a problem.
“My friend nearly had a tizzy fit because I disregarded the sign, but I saw things differently. I saw the rule as written for people who didn’t know how to safely ride the escalator with a stroller. But that wasn’t an issue for me, so the rule didn’t apply.”
Grace in Nepal (September 2014) 
Grace — 44 pounds down. Obedience makes a difference.
While I don’t condone this speaker’s actions, they certainly help me understand how people think and why they do the things they do. I suspect the same thinking often applies to God’s Word.
If the rule doesn’t make sense to us, then we figure it doesn’t apply. Sometimes we disregard the rule because it interferes with our wants or our felt needs. Or we just don’t like it. Or we’re too lazy to apply it.
Healing my temple
One rule that’s become very real to me over the past year or so is to treat my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
I used to disregard it because exercise took too much time from my schedule. Besides, I like sour cream and onion chips. And chocolate.
But I began to pay for my disobedience, and my “temple” fell into disrepair. Not only did I lose my mobility for three months, but I gained a lot of weight. I hurt everywhere, and my activities became limited.
I don’t disregard that rule anymore. I’m learning about health and nutrition, and I go the gym every morning at 5:30 for an hour (every morning I’m in town, that is). The Lord has blessed me with several accountability partners and a group of wonderful women with whom I do a weekly Bible study by First Place 4 Health. I’m tracking my food intake and making better food choices.
Obeying this rule is changing my life. I’ve lost 44 pounds so far and I feel stronger than I’ve felt in years. I’m beyond grateful for how the Lord is teaching me to follow His principles and helping me obey His word rather than my appetite.
How about you?
With what biblical command do you struggle?
Ask the Lord to teach you how to follow it and then rely on His strength to help you practice it with all your heart.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Hi Grace, I had no idea you struggled with a weight issue. This has been a life long struggle for me. I really appreciated your honesty in this article. So far I have lost about 15 lbs but now I feel stuck. Please pray for me that I will stay motivated to go for daily walks & choose healthy foods.
Yes, struggled with weight for the past 10-12 years. Losing my mobility was a major wake-up call for me. It’s been a long journey back, and I never want to go there again. It’s taken me about 1 1/2 years to lose this weight. Portion sizes has made a big difference. And exercise–every day. And most of all, God’s help. I credit Him for doing a turnabout in my thinking about the role of food in my life.
Marilyn, sometimes our progress gets stuck because we’ve fallen into a pattern and our body is no longer challenged to change. Switch up your breakfast, perhaps. Or ramp up exercise a notch. Or make sure you eat the majority of your daily calories at breakfast and lunch. That’s the one change I’m implementing for the next month — eating more in the first half of the day and a much lighter supper than usual.
Wow, Grace, this is so timely. I love the two pictures and your weight difference showing. I know that when I fast I feel stronger afterwards.
Exercise is the big one for me, but I am trying to be faithful with it.
I have cut many foods out of my diet (it’s rough, though, when raising a teen), but no one has complained about my new supply of foods on the table………….minus the pizza, chips, ice-cream and most pastas. We can have those as a special treat once or twice a year.
Yes, God’s word certainly takes first place in teaching us, but, Grace, your sharing has raised my standard of living all round. Thank-you! Now, on with the excercising!!!!!! MB
You go, girl!
I am limited in my knowledge of using the computer and I’ve never had a cell phone, and aren’t even sure how to get one. I feel trapped at times, not knowing these things, and I know what I do to console myself…I eat.
I feel I could work somewhere outside my home if I was equipped to do so.
At home, also, my computer knowledge is limited, and it bothers me greatly.
What computer skills would you like to learn? And what would it take for you to do that?
Those stories about the stop signs and the escalators are enlightening and yes, exasperating at the same time. It’s crazy to ignore the signs put there to guide and teach us. Thank God for the Holy Spirit, too. He has taught me to stay a little behind the stop sign at an intersection, instead of going a little ahead of it. I am enjoying taking care on the road and respecting other drivers and looking out for others, as I learn to drive with much care. Some think I drive way too slow, but……….rather be slow than crumpled in a heap of bashed up vehicles. It’s usually only a matter of time before we learn to do things the right way.
Agreed.
Yes, Grace……….just do it….right? I know………….everythings beginning to fall into line. I know now how to tap into the resources needed to take computer courses…………….it’s all just happening. Wow. God is good.
We have recently just started eating big at breakfast; small lunch, and soup and a bun for supper, with water or the juice of each person’s choice(I like tomato juice). We are already sleeping better, and look forward to getting up earlier because we’re hungry in the morning. I’ll definately go with you on that one!!!!!!!!!!
Shalom!
Interesting that you should mention you’re sleeping better after eating a smaller evening meal. I’ll bet that ‘s because your digestive system isn’t having to work as hard. I haven’t paid close attention to how my body’s responding, so now that you mention it, I’ll watch to see what’s happening. God bless your new endeavours, my friend.