Honor God With Your Body

God is simply AMAZING!!!! This is not something I should be surprised about, but I just LOVE how He speaks to me when I need Him.

Before sharing how He continues to amaze me let me preface by sharing a story. I was extremely lucky when Carson was born in terms of getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was in pretty good shape before I got pregnant, working out an average of 3 days a week doing both cardiovascular exercise and strength training. I had a great partner who encouraged me to get out of bed at 5:45 am to be at the gym by 6:15 am 3x a week. (Thanks Karen!!!) I continued this regimen through my 8th month of pregnancy when I became just too big and uncomfortable (and sleep deprived!) to make it happen. I believe this is what allowed me to return to my pre-pregnancy weight 5 weeks after giving birth!

Fast forward to my last pregnancy with Haley (2.5 years later). I did not work out much during this pregnancy simply because I have seriously slacked off and did not have a consistent regimen in place before the pregnancy. I knew that there was a good chance that I would not get back to my pre-pregnancy weight in 5 weeks but I was still hopeful :-) Here I am at 5 weeks and 5 days after her birth and I am still 9 lbs away and still in maternity clothes... This has been heavy on my heart the past couple of weeks. I am torn between the reality that I am ONLY 5 weeks post delivery and I ONLY have 9lbs to loose (not bad, right?) AND I am nursing. I know that I need more calories to continue to produce what Haley needs. However, the other side of me is pained that I am far from fitting into my regular clothes. I look in the mirror and wonder who's body is appearing before me...that can't be mine, right?

So where am I am going with this??  What has been heavy on my heart is not so much the weight that I want to loose but rather the desire for the motivation and self control needed to get there. The lack of self control is more consuming than anything else. So what had God done for me? 

(1) He sent two Godly women and two of my best friends to come and visit me this past week. I shared my fears with them and they uplifted me, encouraged me and reassured me. Thank you Jenni and Danielle. I love you!!!

(2) He sent me this email, a daily devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries (http://www.proverbs31.org/)... No, He didn't really send it, but you get the point.

Nothing Tastes as Good as Peace Feels by Lysa TerKeurst

To get the gist of the devotional, here is the prayer that she provided for the day:

Dear Lord, help me to see how the temporary sting of sacrifice will be worth the peace I will find in You. Please help me to have the courage to say no to things that distract me mentally, spiritually, and physically. I long to be empowered with Your strength and Your peace today. I admit I need You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Lysa recently released the book Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food

 

(3) He encourage me to go to a blog I frequent, Bring the Rain. Check out what Angie wrote about today! http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2011/02/made-to-crave.html

Her post was about Lysa's new book!!

 
Wow, wow, wow!!! God is good!

And to answer my question from above, " ...who's body is appearing before me...that can't be mine, right?" Right! 

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Corinthians 6:19–20) 

My prayer today is to let go and let God. I pray that I can release my fear and anxiety about losing this weight and let God lead me to honor Him with my body.

I am off to the bookstore to buy Lysa's book so I can Do The Work.

What are you doing today?