Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my
hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as
always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by
life, or by death.
I know this is a somewhat literal interpretation of this Bible verse, but when I read the Bible each morning, I try to be open to ways that the Bible verses I'm reading apply to my life. If you would like to see other examples of how to relate the Bible to your life, check a blog I was led to create called Bible Study: Relating the Bible to YOUR Life!
Anyway, the I related this Bible verse to my feelings of frustration when Christ allowed me to lose 80+ pounds over 30 years ago. You might think that's a funny thing to feel after the miracle Christ allowed in my body. I should feel guilty for being frustrated after all He did for me, but I want to be honest with readers.
When I lost over 80 pounds, instead of having that slim, trim body I had envisioned all those years, I had a body with droopy arms, stomach, and other parts I won't mention here. Instead of being grateful, I felt overwhelmed. Fortunately for me, Christ had taught me that I need to turn any and all stress, including this, over to His very capable hands. The portion of the passage: that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death, leads me to know that I needed to turn over the frustration and being overwhelmed. When I did, Christ filled me with a calmness, where the vast majority of the time, I don't focus on the droopy parts and less than ideal body. I feel so blessed that Christ did this miracle in my life that the other things pale in comparison and I rarely feel ashamed. If I ever do, I turn it over to Christ.
Because
these posts are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my
life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the Bible
verse. Debbie
