1 Peter 4: 13 But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His
glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy
are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He
is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.
The other day, I was sitting in
the kitchen thinking I will be happy when it rains. Then, I asked myself
what will I be if it doesn’t rain? Will I be unhappy? One thing led to another
as I prayerfully contemplated this and God allowed me to remember what I used
to say when I was overweight.
I used to say, I’ll be happy
when I lose all my weight. About ten years after I started saying that, I
looked back as an active overeater. I thought about how I was maybe only 20
pounds overweight and didn’t enjoy being that thin then, because I was waiting until
I lost all the weight before I could be happy. I grieved for myself,
because at 80+ pounds overweight at the time, I wanted to tell my younger self
that I should have been happy then and enjoyed it, because that seemed so thin
to me at my current weight.
As some of you know, I’ve been
blessed to have been allowed to lose the 80+ pounds of excess weight and to
keep the vast majority of it off for over 30 years. Now, did I do anything
particular, in and of myself? No! I just gave up control of my food, life, and
stress and turned them over to God’s very capable hands.
I want to say this didn’t happen
overnight, but in some ways it did and it didn’t. There were lots of months
prior to this point where Christ was showing me the control food had on my
life. I was turning to food rather than to Jesus, so it had become a false god
in my life. I felt cranky when I was overeating, which affected my
relationships with my family, others, and myself. Additionally, I didn’t want
to go to church much, because I didn’t want others to see how overweight I was.
Now, when I actually gave up control and told God that I
gave up and would never be thin and if He wanted me thin, He’d have to take
care of it- that happened the same day. That very same day, eating excessive
amounts of food had no appeal to me. I was hindered as much about what others
thought of me, but still had to struggle with this as I learned to turn other
people’s opinions over to God’s capable hands.
God shields me from my fears and
stress, and bolsters my self-esteem. He teaches me to have joy in the moment
and that I don’t have to lose every pound before I can allow myself to be happy.
God wants me to be happy now and He can do the same for you, if you let
Him. 1
Peter 4: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are
partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye
may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit
of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but
on your part He is glorified.
Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie
Bible Study: Relating the Bible to YOUR Life!
Types of Christians
A Christian Caregiver
Christ's Grace Abounds
Creation: What's It Matter?
How to Know Jesus Is God's Son
Free 2 Share VBS (Free VBS Curriculum)
Christian Overeaters Past and Present Support Links
Jesus Calls, But Do Your Actions Say You Don't Desire Him?
Types of Christians
A Christian Caregiver
Christ's Grace Abounds
Creation: What's It Matter?
How to Know Jesus Is God's Son
Free 2 Share VBS (Free VBS Curriculum)
Christian Overeaters Past and Present Support Links
Jesus Calls, But Do Your Actions Say You Don't Desire Him?