The encouragement to keep going…

At the beginning of the year when I began teaching the “Living Biblically” message series, I decided that I wanted to “consecrate” those four weeks by removing something from my regular diet. If you’ve read A.J. Jacobs book, you get a sense of the very rigid restrictions he placed on himself during his “experiment” of being radically obedient to every commandment in the Bible. I could not dedicate the time necessary to go to the extremes he did [nor did I feel it was necessary] but I did want to have a sense of denying myself something that I wanted.

So I picked sweets. No candy. No cake. No chocolate.

I made two exceptions during those four week. I still had my sweet n’ low in my coffee and I had two bites of my daughter’s birthday cake. [That was her idea] The commitment happened to dovetail nicely with my regular beginning of the year desire to lose weight, and unlike previous years, I’ve actually had some success in that area in the past two months. I made the commitment during the “Living Biblically” series that I was going on the “Obvious” diet. If something was obviously bad for me, I just didn’t eat it. Remarkably, it has worked. I’m 13 pounds down, with about 12 more to go to reach where I really want to be. I love what 13 pounds means.

13 pounds means that my pants are now fitting looser.

13 pounds means my belts are one notch tighter.

13 pounds means the neck in my dress shirts is really loose.

13 pounds mean the scale reads 202 rather than 215. [that's 13, right?]

About 6 years ago, I lost almost 30 pounds to get myself down to 190, which happens to be my target this time around. Looking back on that experience and walking through the last two months has reminded me of my best friend in the process of achieving my goal of a healthier lifestyle and the reduction of my body weight. I like Multi-grain cheerios. That’s a help. Homemade popcorn with no butter and just a little bit of salt is a snack I enjoy which is pretty low fat, and suprisingly, yogurt makes a delicious breakfast, but none of those are my best friends.

My best friend is the scale. A close second in the process would be my belt and those notches that I’ve worn out in one place from years of being over my appropriate weight. Why do I love them so much? Because they reveal progress.

They help me to quantify and celebrate the work that I’ve done.

They honor my sacrifice.

They recognize my struggle, and they pat me on the back by confirming my best hopes and allowing me the opportunity to savor for a brief moment every step in the right direction. When I step on the scale and realize my weight has dropped 1/2 a pound or a full pound, I’m that much more motivated for the day ahead. When I recognize that change, I hear words that ring in my ear that I love to hear.

“I can do this.”

I need to hear that. I need to know that I’m capable of achieving what I’ve failed at many times before. I crave that reminder. It keeps me going. When I see progress, the idea of giving up gets tossed aside. I recommit. I reinvest. I double up my efforts because I recognize that the impossible might just be possible after all.

Which is why I love Paul’s words in the book of Philippians. It’s one of my favorite words of scripture, and a word that I try to take every opportunity to share.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.   Philippians 1:4-6

I wish there was a scale that could measure the development of our faith. I wish there was a quick and easy way to quantify our growth and change. I think there are certainly “signs” of it. In other letters, Paul refers to these as “the fruits of the spirit,” which are those attitudes and actions that reveal the “manifestation” or growth of God’s spirit in our lives. Here is the only problem with the fruits of the spirit, at least in my experience. Other people usually see them in us, but we often struggle to see them in ourselves.

Which is why I need Paul’s words in Philippians. Absent my own ability to properly evaluate the work of God’s spirit in my life, I need to grab hold of the promise that Paul shares that God will not abandon me and will faithfully continue the “good work” of redeeming my life and “saving” me from myself. I need to be reminded that when I don’t believe in myself, God still believes in me. I need to hold tightly to the idea that, “I can do this because God can do this. God’s promised me that.”

And along the journey, I am blessed by others who help me see the fruit of the spirit’s patient reworking of my heart. They encourage me with their insight and humble me with their evaluations of positive change in my life.

So today, if you feel like giving up, I hope you are encouraged by the idea that God has no intention of giving up on you. Today, if you feel like a failure, I hope you are encouraged by the idea that you are not alone in this journey of following in the footsteps of Christ.

And one more thing… When you see fruit in others… no matter how large or small… Tell them. Participate in what the spirit is doing in someone Else’s life by sharing with them the picture of transformation that you have seen in their life. It might make all the difference by providing the encouragement and strength to continue the journey of becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ.

Related posts:

1. Feel free to nag in love
2. A Father’s prayer
3. Dealing with transition…
4. Five things from Andy Stanley
5. Why are the disciplines important?

Category: Leadership, Life Change