Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how the Lord God has positively influenced my overeating, this doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse. Debbie

COE Support Note:

If you REALLY want to read how Christ helped me throughout this weight loss and even when I was tempted, you should read some of the 100's of previous posts on https://christianovereaterssupport.blogspot.com/

What Does Round Robin Reading Have to Do With Being Overweight?

1 Corinthians 1: 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

What Does Round Robin Reading Have to Do With Being Overweight? That's a good question! I used to hate it when I was in elementary school and the teacher would go up and down the rows and call on each and every student to read, one after another. 

 Although I didn't know it at the time, I was a decent reader, but when my turn would come to read, I was get so nervous that I quite often made foolish mistakes. I lost my confidence in my reading and thought I was a terrible reader, but I really wasn't. I would end up overeating out of humiliation for looking foolish and anger for the teacher putting me on the spot that way. I didn't realize, at the time, that I was turning to food as a false god to calm me in times of stress, anger, etc. instead of turning these feelings over to Christ's very capable hands.

 Similarly, it's sometimes difficult to defend our faith when there are people trying to put us on the spot, trying to make us look foolish. Even if we look foolish in explaining our faith, that doesn't make our belief in Christ is foolish! But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Continuing to Process These Feelings

1 John 5: 4 for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is related to the Dec 19 and 21 posts on this blog where I continue to prayerful contemplate this topic. This is the last paragraph of the previous post:

God made the chubby girl I used to be and He made me Children of God and we are lovable and need to know that! He was there for me when I was the chubby girl, but I wouldn't listen, because I felt so terrible about myself I couldn't hear. He shows me now, that He's here for me as I heal from this. He wants me to know that I'm not abandoning the chubby girl that I used to be, but I'm trying to help her to know that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God, because God loves us just the way we are regardless of our weight, ethnicity, sexual preferences, financial status, or possessions we own. He loves us whether we are in a socially acceptable body or whether we still having lingering feelings of being the chubby kid that others took advantage of. Christ has a heart big enough for all our pain, past or present, and sees who we truly are inside-Children of God!!! I realize that it's important that I thank God for loving me even when I can't love myself.

 I think that although I feel protective of that chubby girl I used to be, I didn't realize that I'm also angry with that chubby girl I used to be, like it's all her fault for the negative things that happened in my life, but it isn't. She-I was naive and vulnerable to what I thought others wanted of me. I didn't listen to the instincts that Christ gave me and didn't draw healthy limits to what I was willing to tolerate, for fear others would disapprove of me or pull their affection away. I can no longer blame that chubby girl inside me, because we are one in the same. God overcometh the world: and this is the victory and He can overcome the pain in the past and the present, if we let Him...and it's time I did!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Maybe I Need to Know What This Is About...

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This was the way the previous post ended:
 I can't explain it all, but I've had to turn this over to Christ's very capable hands, because I don't truly understand all of it, but He does! He calms those fears and insecurities and allows me to feel O.K. and not guilty in my thinner body. I can't say for sure, but it's like I may feel I've abandoned the chubby girl I used to be and have left her all alone.

 All I know, is when I ended the blog post with this, I felt like crying. You would think that after living in a thinner body for over 30 years by putting my food, body and eating into Christ's very capable hands, I would have come to terms with these things by now, but obviously not. That's why it's so amazing that Christ shows me the things that I need to know about my life at the time I need to know them! 

 It might explain why I wish I could go talk to heavy kids and tell them that Christ loves them just the way they are! Maybe I thought I had to be thin to be lovable, to be worthwhile, to be deserving of decent relationships. I'm uncertain, but will continue with this. I do know that the chubby girl I used to be didn't feel lovable, worthwhile or deserving of decent relationships and put up with "garbage" she shouldn't have. That word "garbage" covers so much. The thing is, the chubby girl I used to be thought any kind of a friendship was better than no friendship. She felt that any kind of a relationship was better than no relationship and that's NOT TRUE. 

 God made the chubby girl I used to be and He made me Children of God and we are lovable and need to know that! He was there for me when I was the chubby girl, but I wouldn't listen, because I felt so terrible about myself I couldn't hear. He shows me now, that He's here for me as I heal from this. He wants me to know that I'm not abandoning the chubby girl that I used to be, but I'm trying to help her to know that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God, because God loves us just the way we are regardless of our weight, ethnicity, sexual preferences, financial status, or possessions we own. He loves us whether we are in a socially acceptable body or whether we still having lingering feelings of being the chubby kid that others took advantage of. Christ has a heart big enough for all our pain, past or present, and sees who we truly are inside-Children of God!!! I realize that it's important that I thank God for loving me even when I can't love myself.

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Embarrassed About the Way I Looked, but Not the Way You'd Think

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

God allowed me to lose 80 pounds of weight that I had carried around for years. I tried many diets, but only lost weight for a little while and then gained it all back, plus some! It wasn't until one day when I gave up on the diets and told God that I couldn't do it anymore and that if He wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't, that's when my life changed.

I wasn't expecting this change and was surprised when it happened. Christ took away my desire for large amounts of food, sugary and high carb foods. I didn't do it, nor did I expect this to happen. I've prayerfully wondered why it happened when I was really giving up. Then, the feeling I got was that when I gave up controlling food and things in my life, I was then able to give control over to Christ.

When I lost the weight, I was embarrassed about being thinner. It may seem strange in that, I had prayed for years for God to help Me loose the weight, help Me be thinner, help Me...but that was in my control mode. I wasn't asking God to take care of these things, I wanted Him to help Me do them! Anyway, I found that I felt uncomfortable with the attention I got with being thinner and chose to wear my baggy clothes instead of ones that would show the weight loss. I can't explain it all, but I've had to turn this over to Christ's very capable hands, because I don't truly understand all of it, but He does! He calms those fears and insecurities and allows me to feel O.K. and not guilty in my thinner body. I can't say for sure, but it's like I may feel I've abandoned the chubby girl I used to be and have left her all alone. 

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Wasn't Wasting Food, Was I???

Matthew 15: 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

It surprises me, when it shouldn't that people ignore the big things they do against God's will, but worry about little things like whether they wash their hands or not before they eat. The reason I shouldn't be surprised is I've done the same thing, but in different ways.

No, I haven't murdered anyone or been unfaithful, but I've done things and rationalized what I was doing in order to minimize it. One of the most agonizing Life Lessons Christ had for me was when I got after my young daughter when she was going to share three green apples with her friends. I got angry with her telling her that there wouldn't be enough for the family if she gave them to her friends. She felt wounded by my anger and returned outside to her friends. It was the realization that Christ gave me that I hadn't wanted those apples for my family. I wanted them for myself, because they were my favorite food! 

When the kids were little, if they didn't eat their food, I would help them clean their plates. I wasn't wasting food, was I? There were even times when they just stopped eating briefly, but I told them they were done, when in reality, I wanted more of whatever food was on their plates. I'm ashamed to say these things, but feel it's important to be honest with blog readers. Fortunately, Christ has healed me from these vices and uses them to help heal others. He can do the same for you, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Was Finally Chosen

Acts 22: 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

I used to hate sports starting in elementary school. They would choose two team leaders who took pride in only choosing the very best of classmates to be on their team. I was generally left as one of the last ones. I felt like they were thinking, "I hope I don't get chubby Debbie on my team." It hurt!!!!

I wasn't chosen to go to the birthday parties often. Fortunately for me, I was oblivious to most of the birthday parties, so it wasn't as painful as it could have been. I'm not a big fan of kids bringing their birthday party invitations to school to hand out to all the "chosen friends"' leaving the others to feel left out, unliked!

In high school sports, it was the same way. I remember people yelling at me if I didn't hit the soccer ball to the desired place or it hit the net. It was similar with badminton and other group sports. The only time I enjoyed a sport was when they had "Flex Days" and a good friend and I would count how many times we could hit the birdie over the badminton net. These experiences have left me reluctant today to enter into any type of physical activity where I feel I might receive a less than supportive response for imperfection. Fortunately for me, I have been chosen by God and He picks me for His team and He's chosen you, too! 

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

What Does Santa Have to Do With a Post About Christ?

John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. 7 If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye shall know Him, and have seen Him.

What Does Santa Have to Do With a Post About Christ? Well it has to do with truth. When I was in second grade, my teacher told me the truth about Santa. I went home in despair and cried and cried and cried! My mother tried to console me and tried to help me make some sense of this, but I was angry with my teacher for telling me this. I didn't think it was her place to tell me the truth. As a child with the starts of compulsive overeating tendencies, I probably ate, because that's how I dealt with my anger rather than turning it over to Christ's capable hands, like I try to do now.

 The thing is, I now value truth, because that's how I have a firm faith in Christ. Our Christian faith is built on truth, shared by people who predicted Christ's birth 100's of years before he was born. Thousands of people of all walks of life witnessed the many, many miracles that Jesus did, so people would know and believe the truth that He Is the Son of God. Jesus even predicted His betrayal, Crucifixion, death, and resurrection long before it happened, so people would know our faith is based on truth. Over 500 people saw Christ after He arose from the grave, so people would know our faith is based on truth. 

 I get concerned that there are some, children, youth, and adults who possible get confused about the tale of Santa and think that their faith in Jesus is a tale, as well. They need to know that there is lots of evidence about Jesus being the Son of God. Just read the blog: How to Know Jesus Is God's Son which has lots of Biblical evidence from eye witnesses.  Just read books by J. Warner Wallace: Cold-Case Christianity for Kids or Cold-Case Christianity (for Teens and Adults) which has even more proof by witnesses, not just Christians. Also, view the movie by Lee Strobel: The Case for Christ and his books for adults and for kids.

 Be prayerful if telling your children about Santa is setting them up to some day be uncertain about the truth of Christ being our Savior. If you choose to tell them about Santa, make sure you're prayerful about how you share it. You don't want them some day doubting the real truth about their Savior, Jesus Christ, the true reason we have Christmas!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Hearing the Life Lessons

Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

 There was a period just before Christ allowed the 80 pound weight loss and throughout the years after, that He will sometimes have Life Lessons for me. Lots of them have to do with my personal life, choices, etc. But, some have to do with my eating, because food had become a false god to me. God showed me that I was turning to food in times of stress, joy, sadness, instead of turning to Him at these times.

 One of the Life Lessons He had for me was about the quantities of food I had been eating. I'm a visual person and when I have smaller portions of food on a normal sized plate, it could make me feel deprived. When I use a salad plate, it looks like I have plenty of food on my plate, which I do. Plus, it satisfies that sinful desire to have a full plate of food, whether I need it or not!

 I read that lots of times when people eat, it's because they are really dehydrated and really need water or milk. I prayerfully contemplated this, because not eating tips are sound for my body, but this was. I started getting water or milk when I had that urge to eat more things, when I know I had already had a full meal not that long ago. It has helped many a time, but I have to admit, there are those times when I don't want to listen to the Life Lessons and just want to eat a plateful of something that's not good for me. Sometimes, I give in to these temptations, but when I truly hear the Life Lessons Christ has given me, I put these desires in His capable hands and He takes them away from me and He can do it for you, too! 

 Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

So, I Blew It, Now What?

1 John 5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

I wasn't able to overcome my compulsive overeating, but Christ made that possible. He taught me life lessons as I read the Bible on a daily basis and applied them to my life. He showed me that I had tried to be in control of all aspects of my life and if I'm trying to be in control, I'm definitely not letting God be in control of my life. It was a hard lesson for me, but my whole life turned around when I turned my control, eating, food, and body in to Christ's very capable hands.

Along the way, God showed me things. One of these lessons was what I did when I blew my diet. When I would blow my diet, I used to eat everything I thought I might be tempted with, which was really counterproductive!  Instead of having a small weight gain to deal with, after going on the "I Blew It Splurge," I had much more excess weight to contend with. 

Christ showed me that He forgives me of all my shortcomings and vices and can heal me of these, if I let Him. So, when I start to stray into old counterproductive eating patterns, I try to have some quiet time to pray about it. Shortly thereafter, Christ gives me the resolve to again, that very moment, turn my food, body, and eating into His very capable hands and He always takes care of it, if I let Him. He has allowed the vast majority of the 80 pounds to stay off for over 30 years. I do slip at times, but when I'm prayerful about it, Christ picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me down again aimed in the right direction. He can do this for you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Pampering Yourself

 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9

 I remember eating lunch at work and a lady came in with a personal sized wicker picnic basket. She opened it up and took out the cloth place mat and carefully set it down, straightening it out. Next, she took out the real silverware that she had rolled up in her cloth napkin. She took out a ceramic plate, a real glass and put them in the appropriate positions on her place mat. After that, she put her lunch on the plate. We were all anxious to find out why she did this. Her reply was that she was on a diet and she was pampering herself, so that she didn't feel deprived.

 The more I think of this, the more I realize that I rarely pampered myself on any level. I think I always felt guilty for being heavy. I always felt that I didn't deserve nice things in my life. I felt that I deserved to be punished and I guess that I was punishing myself all those years. It's makes me sad when I think of it. I didn't feel deserving of love from others or love of myself. I wish I could comfort that lonely "me" I used to be.

 Fortunately for me, Christ showed me through reading the Bible on a daily basis, that He loved me and gave His life for me, so I might have eternal life through Him. When I think of this, it shows that if Christ loved me that much, then I am lovable and worthy of love from others and myself. Not only did Christ allow me to loose 80 pounds and keep the vast majority of it off for over 30 years, but He gave me my self-worth. He can do the same for you, if you let Him.

 Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

If It's a Choice, Why Choose Unhealthy Relationships?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I found that over the years, I didn't always choose people that walk in the light. Some of my so-called relationships were with people who didn't respect me and betrayed me or took advantage of me. These are some of the things that Christ allowed me to become aware of when I was reading the Bible everyday, prior to and during the 80 pound weight loss. 

When it's a choice, why choose unhealthy relationships? That's a good question and Christ wanted me to prayerfully ponder this. Although I was reluctant to admit that I had anything to do with choosing these unhealthy relationships, I found out otherwise. Often, it had to do with not respecting myself and not having enough self-worth that led to me ignoring or rationalizing inappropriate or less than healthy interactions. I remember hearing a saying one time: You have to lay down in order to let people walk all over you like a welcome mat.

I realized that I had contributed to these people treating me poorly. I turned my counterproductive tendencies over to Christ's very capable hands in the same way that I had turned my food, my body, and my eating over to Him. He has healed these negative tendencies and I have been blessed with lasting healthy relationships. I am very blessed!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Still Felt Fat...

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I chose this Bible verse more for the word appearing, because this post has to do with my appearance, but I'm finding out that this Bible verse is more appropriate for me than I originally thought. 

 As I read the Bible on a daily basis, something I continue today, and turned my food, body, and eating into Christ's very capable hands, He allowed me to loose 80 pounds of the excess weight I had carried around for many years. I found that I really still felt heavy for a long time, even though my body was thin. (Actually, I've heard that this is a very common thing for people who have lost weight.) The thing is, part of turning my food, body, and eating over into Christ's hands is being open to dealing with the life lessons He had for me and one of those was to come to terms with my body being thinner. Sure, I had saggy, baggy, droopy body parts to deal with, as well, but I mainly had to pray and turn all these issues over to God. 

 Christ healed me, so that they weren't lingering issues that interfered with what He wanted in my life. This is where the passage applies to my life in a way I hadn't expected.  This part: "Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." lets me know that He has a purpose for each and everyone of us. Maybe, for me, it's sharing all my many, many weaknesses and inadequacies, so that others come to know Him as their Savior, as well. 

 Although I can't totally know all that Christ wants of me, that portion of that Bible verse had a totally new personal meaning for me. That's the great thing about reading the Bible on a daily basis, because many of the passages have a personally significant meaning when you apply them to your own lives. Try reading the Bible each day, and see. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your daily life, your relationship with Christ, your family, others, and yourself!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Was Overwhelmed by the Whistling and Cat Calls

 1 Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 

On times prior to Christ allowing me to loose the 80 pounds, I had gone on lots of different diets over the years. There were a few diets that seemed to be more productive than others, in that I had lost enough weight that it was noticeable. 

All of a sudden, I had men whistling at me and I was getting cat calls. I didn't like all of this attention, but I was also somewhat flattered by it. I didn't want to do anything to threaten my marriage, nor did I like that I had felt flattered by the attention of others.

I found that the easiest way to deal all of this was to avoid it all together! I sat down and ate, and ate, and ate until I gained every last pound back and then some! I didn't feel guilty anymore, but then I had all the excess weight to contend with, but it felt more comfortable than dealing with the attention of others!

It wasn't until Christ gave me so many personal life lessons as He allowed the 80 pound weight loss, that I realized that I hadn't done anything to encourage the whistles or cat calls. God needed me to come to terms with this for the weight loss He was accomplishing in my body. It was through reading the Bible on a daily basis, that those life lessons became much more significant as I applied the Bible passages to my own life. The more that I read, the closer I felt to Christ, and the more He allowed me to be willing to turn my compulsive overeating into His very capable hands. If He would allow me to keep the vast majority of the weight off for over 30 years, He can do it for you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Started this Vice at a Young Age

For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.  Romans 14:20

 Well, I didn't just wake up one day and was 80 pounds overweight. My vice started at a very early age. I remember peeking in the kitchen window when I was about five and saw a big bowl of my mother's homemade butterscotch pudding sitting on the kitchen table. I tip toed into the kitchen and ran my finger across the top of the pudding. It was good, but there were consequences for being a pudding thief. If I had known better at five, I would have realized that I was showing signs of being an compulsive overeater when all I could think was, "If I had known they would throw the pudding out after I ate out of the bowl, I would have eaten a lot more!" 

 I got lots of praise for cleaning my plate, so I figured that I would get even more praise if I ate two whole plates. At seven, I would get two ice milk cones for the dime instead of one real ice cream cone. I thought more was better and this type of thinking has been intertwined throughout my life.  I talked my little brother out of the money in his piggy bank, so that he would buy ME candy at the movie theater. The stories go on and on...

 Food had controlled my life in one way or another. If I wasn't overeating, I was thinking of eating or planning for when I would be thinner. Food had become a false god in my life, because I turned to it for consolation in times of stress, loneliness, and fear instead of turning to Christ. It wasn't until one day when I finally gave up, because I couldn't loose weight on my "Good Diet" when I told God that I gave up! I told Him that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't.  You know what? He did just that. I didn't do anything particular, just turn my food, body, eating, and my willingness to turn them over into Christ's very capable hands each and every day. I can't say I don't ever slip, but Christ picks me up and refocuses me, if I let Him. He has allowed the vast majority of the 80 pounds of weight to stay off for over 30 years and He can do the same for you!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

The Opposite of the Bible Verse

Let not then your good be evil spoken of: Romans 14:16

 I want to focus on the opposite of this Bible verse. It says not to Let your good to be evil spoken of, and the opposite would be not to speak evil of other people's good.  Unfortunately, I have done this more times than I would like to admit.

 When I was very overweight, I had a very low self-esteem. In order to bolster my sagging self-esteem, I would put down others. In some distorted way, it made me feel better about myself, less flawed in comparison to others.

 This wasn't the Christian that God wanted me to be. He didn't wanting me talking about others behind their backs, minimizing the good that they did in order to make myself feel better. He wanted so much more of me, but I didn't realize it then. 

 I've tried to figure out when things started to change. It wasn't until I started reading the Bible from cover to cover and Christ started giving me life lessons, especially about how I had let food interfere in my relationship with Him, my family, and friendships. He showed me that I had allowed food to become a false god in my life, because I turned to food for comfort instead of to Him when I was stressed, lonely, afraid, etc. This started a chain reaction of realizations that Christ allowed me to see in myself. 

 It wasn't until I finally gave up on diets, because I had gained weight on my "Good Diet", that things really started to change. I told God that I gave up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but Jesus took away the importance of food in my life. I no longer craved large amounts of food, or sweets, or high carb foods.  He allowed a weight loss of 80 pounds and has allowed the vast majority of that weight to stay off for over 30 years!  

 The thing is, when I get sloppy with my food and my relationship with Christ, I start to see a change in my weight. Fortunately for me, Christ had my pants get too tight, so that I could take stock in how I had been taking these for granted. I am trying to remember that Christ wants me to continue to grow as a Christian and to see the lessons He has for me as I apply the Bible to my life on a daily basis. He doesn't want me rushing through, going through the motions, because He has so much to teach me about myself and who He wants me to be. He wants to share these things with you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

What Does a Turtle Have to Do With My Weight?

1 Peter 4: 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Well, that's a good question. When I was in seventh grade, I had a small turtle. My mother and I heard that you shouldn't have them around younger children, because they can get Samonella if they don't wash their hands after sticking their hands in the turtle's water. Since I had younger cousins, we decided it was best to give it away.

I came up with the bright idea to give it to one of the students in my homeroom class. There were two students that wanted to the turtle. There was the more scholarly boy who would have taken the best care of the turtle and there was the classroom hunk who might have done a good job, but I was uncertain. After very little deliberation, I decided to give the turtle to the classroom hunk, mainly because I thought I could get in good with him, which actually didn't happen.

I sold out my ethics for the possibility of popularity and affection. I didn't choose what I knew was probably the best choice for the turtle. I had self-serving motives. Well, in some stretch of this, it ties in with this part of the Bible passage:  if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I have found that Christ uses my weaknesses to bring others to know Him as their Lord and Savior. He uses the times that I have had self-serving motives to show how even someone as sinful as me can turn my life over to Christ's very capable hands and He can heal me of my wounds, my fears, and my weight problems. He doesn't just do it for me, but Christ can do for you, as well. He has allowed the vast majority of 80 pounds to stay off for over 30 years. That is, primarily by turning my control, food, and eating over to Christ and listening to the life lessons He has for me through my past and my present, to become the Christian He wants for my future with Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Hiding Behind the Fat

James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

It isn't that being fat is a sin, it's what I did that was sinful. I let my overeating get in the way of being what Christ wanted of me. I didn't get as involved in my kid's activities at their schools and other organizations, because I was embarrassed about being heavy.

I didn't make friendships easily and was more aloof, because I figured people wouldn't like me, since I was heavy. They might not have had any problem with my weight, but I didn't allow them a chance. I didn't want to be rejected, so I rejected them first. 

I didn't want to go to church, because I didn't want others to see how overweight I had become. I was allowing my weight and my negative self-perception to keep me from being the Christian God wants me to be, the mother,  wife and friend that He wanted of me. I didn't realized how much I had missed out on, because I was too busy hiding behind the fat!

Fortunately for me, Christ didn't give up on me, although I had given up on myself. After lots of personal lessons like this one, He allowed an 80 pound weight loss, when I turned my food, body, eating and control over to His very capable hands. Christ can do the same for you, too!!!

 Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie


The Splurges!

John 13: 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love to one another.

Well, this says to love one another, but I applied it through my taking pride in myself when I used to lose some weight. I would be so proud for the weight loss, I figured I would treat myself to some special splurge and it was always for some type of food, not clothes, not things, but food. This is part of the evidence that food had become a false god in my life, because I had turned to it for comfort in times of stress, joy, and fear instead of turning to my Lord and Savior.

Of course, after these splurges, I used to go right back into my old eating patterns and eventually gained the weight back, plus more than what I started with. It wasn't until Christ allowed me to see the importance food had in my life, that I was willing to put my food, body and eating into His capable hands. It took me months of these personal insights that Christ would allow me and I finally gave up!

I told Christ that I was giving up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to take care of it...and you know what? He did! It was that very same day that He took the urge to eat large quantities of food, sweet foods, and high carb foods away from me. They no longer were important to me and no longer called my name. Actually, I didn't do anything in and of myself, I just gave up trying to be in control and turned that control over to Christ and that's when it happened. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. No diet pills, exercise (although it's good for you), no special diets, but Christ showed me amounts of food that were healthy for me. 

I've gotten sloppy with my food program and my relationship with Christ, at times, but once I put the focus back on my relationship with Christ, the sloppy eating seemed to disappear. As long as I was honest with myself and my Lord, He's kept off the vast majority of the original 80 pounds for over 30 years! He can do this for you, as well!!!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Blaming Everyone Else for My Weight

1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

When I used to be very heavy, I used to blame everyone else for my weight. It was my mother-in-law's fault I was heavy, because she cooked lots of starchy foods when we visited. It was my first husband's fault, because he never appreciated me enough. It was the fault of society for being so weight conscious that they ostracized me. It was the fault of this and that and the next thing, but never me.

During the time just before Christ allowed me to lose the 80 pounds 30 years ago, He allowed me to see how important food and the desire to have a thin body had become to me. Christ allowed me to see that food had become a false god in my life, because I was turning to it instead of to my Lord and Savior in times of stress, loneliness, fear, etc.

He also showed me that I was blaming everyone else, including Him for my being overweight. I figured that since He can do miracles, He could just take my excess weight away and my whole life would be wonderful. Well, it wasn't until Christ allowed me to see myself as I really am, faults and all, that He allowed me to lose the weight. It wasn't because I was a better Christian than anyone else, it was because I finally got to the point where I turned my food, body, and eating over to Christ's very capable hands and stopped trying to control everything in my life. Additionally, I had to stop blaming everything in my life and look in the mirror. When I did, it was easier to finally turn the control over. I have been truly blessed and if Christ can do this for me, He most certainly can do this for you, as well, if you let Him!!!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Treating All People Regardless of Their Faith With Love and Respect

Isaiah 45: 5-6.I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me: that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none beside Me.  I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Upon talking with a good friend, we had a discussion about God. Although I don't know her faith, she shared that she was raised that all beliefs in God are one in the same. Although our faith perspective wasn't the same, we were able to discuss these differences of faith with love and respect and tolerance of one another. 

Having read the Bible multiple times, I try to live by the verse above as well as the following verse: Mark 12: 29 And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

There was a time that I would have over eaten because I was worried that I might have offended my friend. After prayerful consideration, I decided to write a post about how Jesus wants us to have love with respect and tolerance of one another even if others have different faiths than we do.

  It's difficult for me to hear so much hate against people of other religions and cultures. I'm of the mindset that those who have hate in their hearts are often those who speak the loudest. Often those who are supportive of others regardless of their ethnicity, faith, life style choices, skin color, sexual preference, or socioeconomic status are more reserved and the vast majority don't hear this in the media. They rarely see compassion and tolerance in the news. The vast majority of what we hear is hate and negativity. Is that the legacy we want for our children and grandchildren? Do we only want them hearing about hating those who are different than ourselves? If we profess to be Christian, are we loving our neighbors as ourselves? 
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