When I
first saw this picture I was amazed by the transformation. I couldn’t believe my eyes. At a point, I tipped the scale at 258! I
can’t believe I just typed that. I’ve
shared before that I never struggled with my weight until after I had children;
I developed thyroid disease and metabolic issues after my second baby.
As I was
looking at how much I’ve changed I couldn’t believe the “me” that I used to
be. “I don’t remember being this fat, I
look so sad” is all I could say. My mother’s response was, “But you were still
pretty.” I started thinking…why didn’t
my husband, my mother or my friends say anything to me about how much weight I
had gained, and why didn’t they insist that I go back to the doctor?
While I
recognize that no one could make me go to the doctor, I was curious as to why
no one said to me... “Enough is enough!”
It struck me--we do the same thing as Christians. We can clearly see someone
going down a path that isn’t good for them, yet fear, intimidation and the
possibility of alienation prevents us from being truthful with those we love…that
niece whose clothes have become a little too revealing, the nephew who has
become distant, your son or daughter whose grades are slipping. What about our friends and loved ones whose
lives seem to be spinning out of control and the only thing we seem to be able
to say is “you’re still pretty.”
I
understand that my mom didn’t want me to be self-conscious and become even more
depressed but the bigger I got, the sicker I became—heart issues, knee pain,
and host of other things that were cured in the first 15 pounds I lost. It’s good for us to encourage others and
quietly pray for them but the scripture tells us that sometimes confrontation
is good. Take a look at 2
Timothy 3:16—“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” As believers, we have a responsibility to
help those we see going astray in a loving and kind way.
How much
further along in my trek to healthier living could I have been if someone had
confronted me in love and said—“Ok, enough is enough…let’s get to a doctor and
find the real problem?” I want to encourage
you to reach out to someone for whom you have been praying. It just may be the “shot in the arm” they
need.
Today’s Prayer:
Father in
Heaven, thank you for those around me, now who help me keep “short accounts”
with You, so that I am able to stay on the path that You have predestined just
for me. I pray that You will give me the
wisdom, insight and loving hand that I need to help guide someone to the path
that you have for them. Remind me daily
that “words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in pictures of silver. (Prov.
25:11)
In Jesus’
name, Amen.
