Good Monday Morning to you all! I just wanted to share something that I have been going through this past weekend. As I told all of you, I started this journey on March 6th. It has been a great journey with slow/steady progress (slow progress means your doing it right).
But, sometimes my desire for instant gratification gets the best of me. Maybe its the desire for accomplishment or maybe to feel like I'm doing something right. Whatever it is, I began this past week doing this journey in my own strength.
I have been doing all the same things I normally would do in this study, but my motivation made a switch back to my old ways of thinking. I cannot really pinpoint the exact moment, but I started putting the 'act' of the Bible study ahead of my actual time spent with the Lord in prayer about all of this; ahead of my time seeking His Word for my own heart. That switch in my thinking has caused me to make some old familiar choices this past weekend (yes, several small sessions with the Doritos bag). So, why am I sharing this with you? Were they choices so significant that anyone would be able to tell? Probably not! But, I would know. More importantly, God knows! So, I have to be honest with you. Here's why: Failure is always an option!
That sounds hard and deflating, I know. But it's true. Just because we're tracking along, doing well, doesn't mean that we won't face those old temptations that led us here in the first place. Will we have moments of weakness? Yes. That's a given. Is this where we throw in the towel and say, "what's the point?" No! We have to do this, not for the physical benefit, not even for the mental changes, but for the time of drawing close to the Father's heart. That's what this is all about! If for one moment our eyes are removed from the actual 'prize', then we run the risk of falling prey to our temptations for unhealthy food.
Here's my point, I cannot keep you all from stumbling. Heck! I cannot keep myself from stumbling. Only God can do that. That's why we must do this in His strength. Most of all, when we mess up, we must decide to get back up and do this again. Frank Laubach once wrote of his constant struggle to keep God in his every waking thought, "this philosophy that one can begin all over instantly at any moment is proving of great help." He also pointed out this truth, "if this record of a soul struggle to find God is to be complete, it must not omit the story of difficulty and failure." I must adamantly agree. For we have to understand allowing God to pull us back up onto our knees, admit our wrong, accept His mercy and move forward again in His grace. We don't have to wait until tomorrow to start again. We can start in the very next moment.
I am so thrilled to be doing this with you all. Most of all I'm so thankful that I have a God who never gives up on me, even when I mess up! He is so good!
I'll post again later today to pick-up with the food suggestions we talked about.
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