Gainin' Weight and Choosin' to Chill

I am now, by the power and mercy of God, free from years of bondage to eating disorders and lots of weight loss and weight gain. I very much enjoying not being obsessed with my weight. For over five years now, I've enjoyed a steady weight through healthy eating and moderate exercise. I have a great metabolism. Life is good.

Well........what-da-ya know but out of the blue in a period of three weeks I gain 10 pounds!?!?
Now, I don't know about yall, but my fearfully and wonderfully made female body gains weight first all in one area: glutes and thighs! Ah........tight pants :(. I refuse to go shopping for more.

I do have a tiny amount of consolation in knowing that I've done absolutely nothing to earn this weight. It, and a few other physical abnormalities, are all the result of some medication I've taken. For once, this is truly out of my control. Yet, to not be in control of this area of my life is proving to be very much uncomfortable. I've been bellyaching for about three weeks now to anyone who will listen.

So, this recent weight gain and additional physical issues have obviously thrown me for a bit of a loop. I've researched and talked to doctors and dieticians, and they seem to agree that my best solution is to "wait it out and let my body re-regulate itself." Wonderful (insert sarcasm here). To add insult to injury, I've just begun a workout program with my husband and some men at church called "Insanity." It is named such because that is truly the only word fit to describe the level of physical pain this program inflicts. Six days a week. 6:00 a.m. each morning. We've been at it for over a week now, and we're all also really cutting back on our calories. I push myself just as hard - and often times harder - than the men do. All of them are dropping weight like gangbusters. Am I? Well no! Of course not - not a pound! That would make way too much sense.

Okay, enough of my bellyaching..........
God began to convict me yesterday. I have a choice to make here. I can choose to get all torn up about my weight and make weight-loss a top priority OR I can simply choose to accept the fact that this is something that is out of my control right now and keep pressing on with the plans and purposes of God for my life; not allowing myself to become distracted by the things that satan would love for me to be distracted by. If I allow these undesirable physical issues to occupy a large part of my mind and heart, I will no longer be loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind as I have been commanded. If I spend all kinds of time worrying over how to get my weight back down, I will not be seeking first the Kingdom of God as I have been commanded. I will not be making His priorities my priorities  because instead I will be focused on earthly and eternally-insignificant things. I must choose not to do that. I will choose not to do that. I will not once more idolize my physical body and fail in my obedience to the Lord.

My dad sent me an email today to let me know that he was praying for me in these "struggles" that I am having. Honestly I am really thankful for his prayers because the stuff going on with my body is very definitely not normal, and I do need God's intervention. Mostly from his email, however, I was convicted. Convicted at how I get all selfishly caught up in my temporary "struggles" and make them a much bigger deal than they should be. I was reminded of a passage from my new favorite book, Radical. I'll leave you with it. Perhaps it will make you evaluate your attitude toward your own "struggles":

"Wake up. Wake up and realize that there are infinitely more important things in your life than football and a 401k [and weight loss]. Wake up and realize there are real battles to be fought - so different from the superficial meaningless "battles" you focus on. Wake up to the countless multitudes who are currently destined for a Christ-less eternity!"