Honestly

I think we all get to a place sometimes where we have to honestly assess, “How am I doing?”

It’s not really a conversation I have with a friend or family member. It’s one of those middle-of-the-night contemplations where there’s no one to fool. There’s no glossing over the realities staring me in the face.

I know certain things about myself need to change, but it’s easier to make excuses than tackle them head on. Rationalizations are so appealing:

And on and on and on.

Excuses always get me nowhere fast. That’s why a few years ago I had to get honest in the area of healthy eating. Even if that’s not your issue, I suspect these same scripts of rationalization have played out in your mind over other things.

So, the cycle continues day after day, week after week, year after year.

One day, I finally decided I didn’t want to spend a lifetime in this cycle.

Nothing changed until I made the choice to change. I had to want it — spiritually, physically, and mentally. The battle really is in all three areas.

Spiritually: The Bible tells us to set our minds and our hearts on things above (Colossians 3:1 – 5). To do this, I have to put to death whatever belongs to my earthly nature, which is anything that sets itself up as an idol in my life. Idolatry is trying to get my needs met outside the will of God.

I couldn’t deny it. This described food for me at times. More often than I cared to admit, I turned to food when I should have turned to God.

Physically: I couldn’t keep my weight stable in a medically healthy range for any period of time. I would lose weight, but then I would always gain it back. And then to top it all off, when a doctor did some tests to determine my body mass index (BMI), my body fat percentage had crept up to the “danger” category.

What?! I knew I was feeling sluggish and frustrated by the extra weight, but no one would have looked at me and thought I was at risk. Except now a doctor was telling me that if I didn’t make some changes, I could be in trouble.

I needed a healthy eating plan, not a fad diet. I needed a plan that would help me make realistic changes to improve my overall health and help me shed the excess weight the right way.

Mentally: Don’t settle. Don’t compromise. Remember what we discussed in Day 9 about cutting the “com” off of the word compromise? You’re left with a “promise.” We were made for more than compromise. We were made for God’s promises in all areas of life. I am made for more than a vicious cycle of eating, gaining, stressing; eating, gaining, stressing …

For the sake of my emotional health, it was time to be honest with myself.

Remember, as a Jesus girl, it is possible to rise up, do battle with our issues, and, using the Lord’s strength in us, defeat them — spiritually, physically, and mentally—to the glory of God.