The Excuse

In case you haven't heard, I recently went to the doctor for an annual physical. To be honest, I wasn't feeling the best but there was nothing really wrong with me. I wasn't expecting anything to come up or be of concern, except how much I weighed, but hey, everyone gains weight, right? Well I knew something was up when the nurse called me back to get another blood sample. A week or so later I was scheduled for a little talk with my doctor. He was a little concerned that I was a near diabetic. I was a mere three-tenths of a point away from being officially diabetic. However, with a change in my diet and the addition of some regular exercise this could change. That did it, I had the excuse to make some changes in my life.

These changes I understand can't be temporary or just until I shed some pounds. I am fully convinced that I must live differently from the first fifty years of my life. I have the excuse I need to make some real changes in my life. I am actually happy about all of it. After just two weeks of eating differently I am feeling so much better. I am not experiencing some of the symptoms of being tired and constant hunger any longer and I am just feeling good. It becomes its own reward. So, I am in this for life. I am not temped to go back the the old way of eating because I know it is a downward spiral. There is nothing there for me any longer. I am content with the good things I can eat and that is fine with me.

I was thinking how similar this experience is to someone who comes to Christ out of a life of sin. Just as I can't make a "sort of" break with my old eating patterns and expect it to work, neither can the person who comes to Christ continue to live the life of sin and expect Christianity to work in their life. Just as there is nothing good for me to go back to in the old way of eating, neither is there anything worth going back to in our old lives of sin, it didn't work for us then and it won't work for us now. It is the total break and the obedience to living differently that is necessary.

The bottom line? It becomes its own reward. It's just a better life. The benefits from serving Jesus become the motivation and joy that keeps us here. Just and I am already experiencing the difference of how I feel by eating differently and know it is making my body healthier, I have no desire for a donut or pie or cake or cookies as good as they might taste, I know they will do nothing good for me. Neither will sin. We must separate the desire we have to sin from what it will do for us so we can see it will take us no where good.

Well, a year from now you may not recognize me. My Wii Fit tells me I am already down 6 pounds. I can't wait until that number is double digits. I am ready to feel even better.