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I am a walking testimony of
God's great goodness, grace, and power! I praise Him for helping me to lose 128 pounds
over the course of eighteen months--128 pounds lost forever!
My journey began on March 14, 1997, one day after my fortieth birthday. How ironic! Just like the Israelites, I'd spent forty years wandering when I finally began my journey to the Promised Land. I was at my all-time high of 283 pounds and my all-time low emotionally. I was scared. I was so close to weighing 300 pounds!
Life had become difficult and restricted by my weight. My legs strained to support me and I experienced shortness of breath climbing stairs. My back hurt whenever I stooped to do housework. I couldn't even think about riding a bicycle with my children. I longed to be a thin person, but felt so out of control.
How did I let myself get so overweight and become so miserable? Among the many excuses I offered myself were: four pregnancies in six years, relocating several times over the past sixteen years, my husband's long work days left me to manage the kids, fatigue, loneliness, and the death of my parents. While all these things were very real stresses in my life, God has shown me that I was turning to food for comfort instead of turning to Him.
I realize now that I thought I was trusting the Lord, but I wasn't--not completely. I told myself that I simply enjoyed food, but in fact, food had become a stronghold in my life that separated me from God. I finally realized the only way I was going to be able to lose the weight was to put God in complete control. I knew I must surrender my will to Him in every area of my life, including my struggle with food. I got down on my knees and committed this whole process to Him. I prayed and asked God to forgive me of all my past overeating. I prayed He would work His will in my life.
I first learned of the Weigh Down Workshop by reading Gwen's book in the spring of 1997. Her book spoke to my heart, confirming things I had been thinking and revealing some new thoughts. I immediately started practicing the principles I had learned and began to see results. As others noticed my progress, I was eager to share about Weigh Down and its Christ-centered approach to weight loss. Before I knew it, I was being encouraged to start a Weigh Down class at our church. It has been a great privilege to be a Weigh Down Workshop coordinator, sharing my journey with many fellow travelers.
Accountability with the scale was helpful to me. Of course, I knew in my heart if I had truly been obedient. The scale simply provided the confirmation. I never lost sight of my ultimate goal to lose weight and to be obedient to the Lord in the area of food. I was encouraged by every pound lost. God is truly amazing. I had a steady loss each week with only a few plateaus. I kept my eyes on the prize, and God blessed me for being obedient.
I can say with all confidence
that God in His mighty power has removed this stronghold from my life forever. Praise be
to God! Through the study of His Word and a personal relationship with Christ, I've been
able to do what I once believed impossible.
I have received several jewels or blessings since my journey began. Since losing the weight, I have bought my first bicycle as an adult. It sounds so simple to most people, but is was a huge jewel for me to be able to ride bikes with my kids and husband. Buying clothes is another jewel. What a thrill to be able to fit into regular size clothes again! Each step of the way, with each smaller size, it has been so exciting to try on clothes.
Another jewel has been the confidence in myself regarding public speaking. I used to be so self-conscious of my weight that it hindered me from serving in church, and I was uncomfortable speaking to others. Since my weight loss, God has given me His confidence to speak and serve more easily in church. And He has also given me the confidence to share Christ with others outside of my church.
Just everyday things--climbing stairs, putting away laundry and groceries, sitting in a booth at a restaurant without feeling crammed in--were daily jewels to me. I continually had something to thank God for. I think with losing as much weight as I did (equal to a whole person!), I do not take anything for granted. I was so restricted, and now I am so free. I appreciate and can enjoy fully the body that God has given me to use to His glory.
My prayer every day is for my focus to be completely on obedience to God in every area of my life. I also name "food" specifically. I ask Him to keep me obedient to hunger and fullness. It is how He designed me and I desire to be obedient to Him.
I must admit that I've always
thought that my weight problem was a stumbling block for others. I can't be certain, but I
do know that by God's grace, my weight loss has given me a visible, exciting, and easy way
to share Christ with others.
I've also been delivered from the fear of regaining the weight. 1 John 4:18 says it best: perfect love has removed all fear from me. This has come to be an important part of my testimony. Some say, "You can lose the weight, but can you keep the weight off?" My answer is, "Absolutely!" God has removed the stronghold and the fear. The weight is lost forever. Praise God!
God is so cool! He transformed an area of my life so obviously out of control for His glory. He is so personal, and He meets us right where we are. He is truly an "interactive" God. I love Him so much for that.
I give all glory to God and encourage every believer to keep your eyes on Him and stay in His Word. I speak from experience when I say, "He is a God of miracles!"
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