Dead Weight

When Shorty and I got married, he weighed sixty pounds more than I did. Over the following 8 years, he and I both put on quite a few extra pounds. But two years ago, a couple of brothers from church pestered him until he began to work out with them. Over the course of the last two years, he has lost somewhere near 70 pounds and gained some really nice muscles! =) It took me quite a while to get on board because I DON'T LIKE working out! =P (Here come the excuses...) Besides, I'm busy... my kids need... it's hard... lol! So last fall, I coughed up the membership fee and joined Weight Watchers Online. It changed the way I look at food, and helped me to lose about 25 pounds.

So recently I've been thinking about how much harder it is to do simple things when I'm carrying around a bunch of extra fat. I HATED changing the sheets on the beds-- especially the bunk beds-- when I was 190 pounds. In fact, I was really afraid that one of them would break "one of these days"... And going shopping always made my feet/knees/hips/back hurt. Muscle weighs more than fat for the space it takes up, but our muscles do SO MUCH for our bodies, extra fat is just dead weight.

Which leads to the spiritual point of the day.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Hebrews 12:1-3

This was actually the focal passage for my devotions today from a precious little book called Comforts from the Cross written by Elyse Fitzpatrick. In it she talks about how we hate and love our sin at the same time, but are powerless to overcome it. And how we are called to battle against our sin by focusing on our Savior! I'm only on day nine, but she paints the gospel as SO GLORIOUS! Which is a topic for another day... =)