Losing Weight

Have you ever had the thought that if you were rich and could afford a personal trainer you could lose those extra ten pounds?  You just need someone to hold you accountable.  You need someone to show you the correct way to exercise.  You need someone to show you what to eat and what not to eat?  That’s right, that is why I am still ten pounds heavier than I want to be.  The problem is not me; it is because I don’t have a personal trainer.
I was having this whole conversation with myself when suddenly I was interrupted by another thought.  The Holy Spirit was willing to be my personal spiritual trainer.  Now you would think I would jump with joy and say, “yes, yes, yes” but truthfully Jillian Michaels face from the show Biggest Loser popped into my mind.  Have you watched her?  She takes no excuses, demands more than the person wants to give, and cuts no deals.  
So now I had a choice to make.  I could choose to remain the same or I could take God up on His offer. I could tell God no thank you.  He would still love me, but part of Him would probably ache that I am not willing to allow Him to help me be the best that I can be.  The difference would be that going forward I had no excuse. The truth is that losing ten pounds spiritually is no easier than losing ten pounds physically.  It demands changes in my lifestyle and my life choices.  It requires that I examine my life and figure out why I don’t read my Bible, why I don’t pray more, why I do what I don’t want to do.  This is not a change for six weeks and then everything reverts to the old patterns.  No this change is for a lifetime.  It will demand discipline on a daily basis. 

Just like I have tried a zillion diet plans, I have been at this spiritual crossroads more than once.  The desire stage is cool.  I buy a new Bible with all kinds of references.  I get different color highlighters.  I get a new journal.  I am ready.  But the next step is the daily discipline, which is not as cool.
The techniques needed to lose spiritual weight are the polar opposite to losing physical weight.   Instead of “don’t eat” I hear “eat”.  I am finding out that I consume way too little of God’s word.  It is no wonder I am so spiritually weak – I am starving myself.  The other thing is that when I do consume God’s word a lot of the time it is like empty calories.  If you ask me five minutes later what I read, I cannot tell you.  My Personal Trainer is redirecting my reading of the Word.  For me this means that when I read the Word I read with the intention of coming away with something that sustains me, builds me up, corrects me or in some way changes me.  It is not a matter of how many chapters, staying on a reading program, a certain amount of time, but has my time in the Word strengthened me spiritually.  It is like my Personal Trainer has put together a program designed especially for my specific needs. 

Next instead of hearing exercise more I hear “be still”.  You would think that being told to be still would be music to my ears.  You would think so, but not so much.  Try it – just go sit in a chair for 15 minutes.  It is excruciating.  My mind goes into overdrive.  I may be sitting, but I am not still.  I am making lists in my head.  I feel guilty for sitting.  I am planning what I will do when I am through being still.

Then instead of hearing stay away from sweets I hear taste and see that the Lord is good.
Psalm 119:103  How sweet your words taste to me;  they are sweeter than honey.
Changing what I crave is going to take time.  For someone who has practiced eating only what is healthy and developed a taste for natural wholesome food, a Big Mac and a large fry are not really a temptation.  If they do wander from their normal way of eating and consume a Big Mac and a large fry, their taste buds are not aroused.  They have trained themselves to desire what is good and healthy. I still desire American Pickers, CNN, Sunday afternoon  football, Nascar, or facebook.  There is nothing wrong with any of them, but they are like empty calories and do nothing to make me strong and spiritually healthy.  My Personal Trainer is helping to wean me off the junk food and help me to develop a taste for the sweetness of His Word.
  
 Another difference is instead of the Jillian yelling – God whispers. 
I  live  in a noisy  world  and  to get my attention you would  probably have to yell  but  my  Personal Trainer does not yell.  To hear His voice I am going to have to listen.. 
1 Kings 19:11-13 (NLT)
 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

   And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
 I need to be still.

The one thing that is the same is that the extra spiritual weight I carry is heavy and has a direct effect on how I live my life.  The weight affects how I see myself and how I interact with others.  It affects what I can do for God.  When I am weighed down, I cannot follow Him to the high places.  I settle for a life tethered to the ground when I am meant to soar with the eagles.    Unforgiveness, envy, fear, doubt, and laziness all weigh a spiritual ton.  Shedding my spiritual weight will not be easy or quick but I do have my own Personal Trainer.