I am participating in a weight-loss contest that is being sponsored by a local television station. For 10 weeks, my teammates and I are competing to see which team can lose the largest percentage of weight. Part of the incentive includes free membership for the duration of the contest at the YMCA.
Today was my second day working out there. I got on a treadmill, turned up my TobyMac and got going. In the row ahead of me, there were three women also on treadmills. Being a woman, I started comparing myself to them and in the process, picking them apart.
The first woman, I have to say, inspired me. I think she's a contestant, too, since she was there on the same days I was. She alternated between walking and jogging, but I was so proud of her because by looking at her, I would never guess she could jog. I certainly cannot jog at this point, which is why I was admiring her.
The second woman was a Barbie-doll type, blonde with a cute workout outfit on. She got right on the treadmill and started jogging, no warm-up! Wow. I was thinking to myself that I could be inspired by her, to make it a goal to get to that level.
The third woman was in her early twenties and from my assessment, didn't need to be up on that treadmill. Her body type is one that I will just never have.
While I was thinking about all of that, I was also remembering how I once lost a lot of weight, only to gain 80% of it back. Back then, my motivation was pure vanity. It didn't last for long and didn't get me very far. I wanted to be thin for all the wrong reasons.
So, as I was finishing sizing up of those poor, unsuspecting women, I looked up at one of the many televisions they have there. You can only hear the sound if you tune into them on your FM radio. There on the screen was a stained glass picture of Jesus praying, looking upward toward His Father. In closed-captioning font it read, "REAL LIFE INSPIRATION".
Why was there a picture of Jesus on the TV right at that second? I have no idea what was on that station or what they were talking about, but I started laughing and tried not to look like a fool up on that treadmill.
God knew what I was up to. He knew that I needed reminding of what my "real life inspiration" is. Not vanity, not looking good in a gym, not having men look at me, and definitely not being on top when I am comparing myself to others.
No, this time, my motivation and inspiration is to be healthy and whole and complete in Him. He doesn't care about my weight, but He does care about the issues in my head that contribute to it. He cares that I have chosen to believe those lies, that I have chosen not to believe that He loves me, and therefore, have immense worth. And, apparently, He will go to great lengths to remind me:)
Psalm 139 The Message
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.
Isaiah 43 The Message
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.
