Just Wait

For a few weeks now, my weight has started to plateau. I know it happens. When we lose weight, our bodies change, so we have to learn how to change with them. The process can be frustrating though! When we don’t have as much weight to lose, it becomes harder to get that last stubborn twenty pounds to come off. Part of my problem over the last few weeks has been my mindset. When I did not see the weight coming off, I got frustrated. I started to fret every time I stepped on the scale. I decided to change that last week. I chose to focus on the total amount of weight I had lost up to that point. I also chose to celebrate and be thankful for the things I have learned on this journey instead of browbeating myself if things weren’t going the way I thought they should. When I stepped on the scale last week, I lost weight! I lost more this week too! Both losses were small, but that’s okay. I learned that stressing over my weight can actually add to it instead of helping to take it off. I just have to stay dedicated to my healthy lifestyle and let my body do the rest.

As Christians, it can be so easy to get discouraged when we face hard times. I and all of my former coworkers got laid off from work a few years ago due to our company downsizing. I sent resumes’ and had interviews all over town for over six months before anything started to happen. I remember crying my eyes out one day. My bills were steadily coming in, and I had no income to pay them. I had reached a point where I was having a hard time trusting in God’s guidance. I would read my Bible, but my Bible reading became more of a duty than a desire to learn about God. What’s funny is that I was afraid to admit to God that I was having a hard time trusting . . . as if He didn’t already know!! That afternoon while I was sobbing, I begged God to give me the strength He knew I needed to trust Him. I told Him that I felt like I had done all I could do to find work, but I couldn’t understand why no one was calling. At that moment, it was as if I could hear Him whisper in my ear, “Just wait”. Isaiah 40:28-31 says:

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

As soon as I finished praying, an overwhelming sense of peace came over me. In my heart, I said, “Okay, Lord”. A few weeks later, I was employed! Looking back on that time, I can see how God was already working. He just wanted me to let go and submit everything to Him!

One thing I have learned with weight loss is that if we do our part, our bodies will eventually do theirs. We just have to relax, give it time, and trust our bodies to do their work. The same idea goes with the Christian life. Yes, God wants us to do our part to take care of our finances and our health (among other things), but we also have to remember that God is ultimately in control of every part of our lives. He will guide us in the direction He wants us to go. All we have to do is trust Him, and just wait for His Perfect Time.

Until next time . . . let’s keep on running!!