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“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 perfector 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” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Last weekend, I learned about running with endurance. Months ago, I signed up for my second half marathon in the past few months. Knowing that I like to train with a group, I led the Cross Train ladies in preparation. As always, training with these ladies was an absolute blast! We talked a lot; we laughed a lot; and we also worked hard. We did long runs, maintenance runs, speed work, technical drills and plenty of strength training. I felt very good about our upcoming race. The week of the race is always my favorite week as it is taper week. In taper week, we cut back on training and rest our bodies so that they are race ready. We add a few extra carbs to our diets and try to get a little more sleep. I did all those things and thoroughly enjoyed them!

On race morning, I awoke at 5:00 to make sure that I had a good breakfast, coffee and water two hours prior to my starting time. I had the plan for my race hydration and nutrition. As far as I knew, I had done everything to prepare me to accomplish the goals that I had for the day.

The race started. I had a lofty goal for my race so I started with a pace group that was just a bit faster than my goal time. Immediately, I knew something just wasn’t right. My breathing didn’t settle; my legs felt like lead; I wasn’t enjoying the race. Nevertheless, I had a goal so I kept pushing on towards my goal pace. Three miles into the run, I wanted to cry. Nothing was going as I had planned. My December run felt nothing like this one. If I hurt this badly at 3 miles, how was I going to run 10.1 miles farther?

Questions abounded in my mind — Quit? Slow down? Let go of my goal? How I toyed with quitting! I could make a good excuse—I had suffered from a cold last week. Quitting was acceptable, but I just couldn’t grasp the idea of stopping after all those weeks of training.

Slow down? That takes humility, admitting that I am not able to do what I had set out to do. Nevertheless, the longer I ran, the more I knew that slowing down was the only good option. I simply couldn’t keep up the pace. So what about my goal? Is it okay to set a goal and not reach it? What does that mean about me?

The Lord had some powerful answers for me that morning. He started with the reminder that even Jesus took breaks. He knew when he had to slow down and rest and spend time with his Father. There is value in recognizing our limitations and operating within them.

I did slow down, and I did let go of my goal. When I did, some pretty amazing things happened. Every time I passed by a police officer, I had the breath and the desire to say thank you. Thank you for making this a safe race course for me. Thank you for sacrificing a Saturday morning to stand out in the rain for hours. All those volunteers who handed out water, sports drinks and supplements — they didn’t have to be there. They served us in a much needed way. I thanked them and tried to share joy with them. When I passed spectators, I took in their words of encouragement and affirmation. I smiled and told them I appreciated their cheering us on in the race. I encouraged other runners and shared words of acknowledgement. The race did not get a whole lot easier for me. My breathing never fully settled; my legs still hurt; every mile was pretty painful. However, I gained a very valuable insight: when it comes to the end of my life, I want to be remembered for being a person of love, not a person who succeeded at all of her worldly goals. As I was able to let go of the lesser goal of a race time, I was able to pursue my greater goal of loving well.

There were other blessings along the way — when I slowed down, my friend and running partner caught up to me. Truthfully, I don’t think I could have finished the race without her. We didn’t talk nearly as much as the last race (or at least I didn’t), but she kept me going. I felt stronger and more motivated with her by my side. On the one stretch where she got weak, I got strong and was able to encourage and push her. We finished together and God reminded me once again that we are made for community; we are better together!

Finally, The Lord graciously helped me think through my goals in life. While running, I saw a picture of myself coming to the end of my true race. At the finish line, Jesus stood there with arms outstretched. His joy in my race was overwhelming. Despite all the times I missed my goals and fell short of my expectations, Jesus was not disappointed. Instead, he met all the goals and expectations for me. All my goals are complete in him. Better yet, he understood that I could never do it on my own.

Running the race with endurance is looking at Jesus. It means keeping my eyes on him, dropping the baggage and sin that holds me back, dropping the idea of quitting, the excuses, and looking to the joy set before me. It means listening to my body and feelings, listening to my limitations and working within them. It means knowing that I need God’s strength and the strength of the people he has put into my life. Finally, it means trusting in the Only One who could finish the race perfectly. My race is one of faith and that race has already been won by my Savior!

”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

Most of us are very familiar with John 3:16. We know and teach that God sent his Son so that those who put their trust in him would not perish but enjoy eternal life. What most of us miss is John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world.” We focus on the salvation but still live our lives thinking that God is out there waiting and watching to condemn us.

For much of my life, I saw God as the One who sat up in the heavens looking for my every mistake. I felt condemned and judged all the time because I knew my weaknesses far too well; I was aware of all the times I fell short of the glory of God. If God was not constantly angry at me then, at least, He was very disappointed by me. I could not grasp that God was for me not against me.

Reading this passage from again while preparing for The Abundant Christmas talk, I saw my error. For the past 10 years, I have walked through a healing process, one that has allowed me to see my Father’s heart for me. I have seen the Lord’s patience with me, his love for me, his desire to set me free and to redeem even those things in my life for which I was most ashamed. Slowly, but surely I have come to believe the passage of Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future.” I am starting to grasp that the Lord’s desire is to bless me. Yes, life involves much trial, tribulation and pain; however, God, in his infinite wisdom, knows that those things are necessary to grow us into Him. Going back to the words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world.” For God so loved me; for God so loved you, that He gave His only Son that we may have intimate relationship with the Godhead.

Do you walk through your days knowing that you are completely known by God, accepted through Christ and perfectly loved? Do you appreciate that He is for you and not against you? Do you know that no one wants your happiness like God does? Think of how much you long to see your son or daughter happy, joyful, and content. Your feelings for your child are only a glimpse of God’s feelings for you. Our human love is imperfect but God’s love is perfect. In his book, The Purpose of Christmas, Rick Warren writes that God does not want to rub your sins in; instead, He wants to rub them out. That is what Jesus came to do — to show us the Father’s love, take our sins upon himself so that we can enter into relationship with the God who loves us.

How would your life change if you lived in this love of the Father? How would your life change if you lived in the perfect acceptance and delight of your Father? Would you be free to fail, to make mistakes, take risks, to truly love God and others?

Hear the truth of God today — God is for you! He is not against you. God loves you and has a good plan for your life. If you cannot accept and embrace this truth right now, take some time to sit with the Father and ask Him to show you what keeps you from believing in His love and delight. There are often wounds behind the lies that we believe. Thankfully, God is not only the perfect Father, he is also the perfect healer.

Entrust yourself to the One who loves you today for He has abundant plans for you!

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac” (Genesis 22: 1-3).

The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 has always challenged me. I wrestle with the question of why God would ask Abraham to sacrifice the very son that He had promised. How did Abraham respond with such obedience? My desire is to keep the story at bay thinking the challenge is just for Abraham. However, God never lets me off that easy.

In thinking through this account over the years, a few things stand out to me. God gives us amazing gifts. Isaac was the miracle child! He was God’s promise fulfilled in Abraham’s life. Our God loves to lavish us with good gifts, gifts that surpass even our greatest expectations and dreams. The challenge with us is that we often take those good gifts of God and make them into idols. How does that happen? Gradually — slowly but surely we lose sight of God’s provision and we start longing to control, hold onto, and even worship these gifts. The very thing that God has provided becomes the very thing we want to withhold from Him. Just like the the seagulls in the movie Nemo, we shriek with the words over and over again: “mine, mine, mine!”

At this point in Abraham’s life, God “tested” his obedience and allegiance. God instructs Abraham to go to the land of Moriah where he is supposed to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. The next morning Abraham awakes and embarks upon his journey. Everything needed for the sacrifice is there, even his beloved Isaac.

After a three day journey, they arrive at the place appointed by God. Abraham and Isaac leave the servants to go and make the sacrifice. When Isaac questions Abraham about the sheep offering, Abraham speaks powerful words: “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). Abraham, when asked to sacrifice the gift most precious to him, was able to trust God to provide. Abraham trusted God all the way to the altar where he had Isaac bound and knife in hand. As his hand was coming down, an angel spoke from heaven to stop Abraham and to commend his obedience. It was then that Abraham looked up and saw a ram stuck in the thistles. That ram became Abraham and Isaac’s sacrifice.

God provides! God provides at the perfect time! God’s provision is often not the one that we expect. Abraham said God would provide a lamb; God provided a ram. God’s provision doesn’t always work with our plans or ideas. We have to go back to God’s truth in Isaiah 55: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We cannot figure out God. Instead, our calling is to trust and obey.

For us to see God’s perfect provision, we have to be willing to sacrifice the very gifts that we hold so dear. The gifts we want to control, own — “mine, mine, mine!” It may be our children, our spouse, our work, our home, our bodies, our habits or addictions. Anything that was given as a gift and once was good but captivated our hearts and minds and became more prominent in our affections than God. God is a jealous God. He wants to be our main attachment, our first affection, the delight of our hearts. Every other gift is God’s abundance. To fully appreciate His abundance, we have to embrace that we are made for God. We are made for a relationship with Him. If He is not first in our lives, then our lives are not what they were made to be. Go further into the story and hear the angel speak to Abraham a second time: “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 18:15-16). God’s provision and blessing follow our obedience. It is His heart and delight to pour out abundance in our lives!

Whether we like it or not, this story is not just for Abraham. It is for me; it is for you. What is the Isaac in our lives? What has captivated our hearts above God? Whatever it is, it is time to lay it down on the altar of the Lord. This is NOT an easy process. It is one that will involve sweat, tears, sacrifice and trust; it is also the very process that will lead us into the right relationship with God and the one in which we will see God’s perfect provision in our lives.

Will you lay it down?

The Call to Sacrifice and God’s Provision

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ God said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac” (Genesis 22: 1-3).

The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 has always challenged me. I wrestle with the question of why God would ask Abraham to sacrifice the very son that He had promised. How did Abraham respond with such obedience? My desire is to keep the story at bay thinking the challenge is just for Abraham. However, God never lets me off that easy.

In thinking through this account over the years, a few things stand out to me. God gives us amazing gifts. Isaac was the miracle child! He was God’s promise fulfilled in Abraham’s life. Our God loves to lavish us with good gifts, gifts that surpass even our greatest expectations and dreams. The challenge with us is that we often take those good gifts of God and make them into idols. How does that happen? Gradually — slowly but surely we lose sight of God’s provision and we start longing to control, hold onto, and even worship these gifts. The very thing that God has provided becomes the very thing we want to withhold from Him. Just like the the seagulls in the movie Nemo, we shriek with the words over and over again: “mine, mine, mine!”

At this point in Abraham’s life, God “tested” his obedience and allegiance. God instructs Abraham to go to the land of Moriah where he is supposed to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. The next morning Abraham awakes and embarks upon his journey. Everything needed for the sacrifice is there, even his beloved Isaac.

After a three day journey, they arrive at the place appointed by God. Abraham and Isaac leave the servants to go and make the sacrifice. When Isaac questions Abraham about the sheep offering, Abraham speaks powerful words: “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). Abraham, when asked to sacrifice the gift most precious to him, was able to trust God to provide. Abraham trusted God all the way to the altar where he had Isaac bound and knife in hand. As his hand was coming down, an angel spoke from heaven to stop Abraham and to commend his obedience. It was then that Abraham looked up and saw a ram stuck in the thistles. That ram became Abraham and Isaac’s sacrifice.

God provides! God provides at the perfect time! God’s provision is often not the one that we expect. Abraham said God would provide a lamb; God provided a ram. God’s provision doesn’t always work with our plans or ideas. We have to go back to God’s truth in Isaiah 55: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We cannot figure out God. Instead, our calling is to trust and obey.

For us to see God’s perfect provision, we have to be willing to sacrifice the very gifts that we hold so dear. The gifts we want to control, own — “mine, mine, mine!” It may be our children, our spouse, our work, our home, our bodies, our habits or addictions. Anything that was given as a gift and once was good but captivated our hearts and minds and became more prominent in our affections than God. God is a jealous God. He wants to be our main attachment, our first affection, the delight of our hearts. Every other gift is God’s abundance. To fully appreciate His abundance, we have to embrace that we are made for God. We are made for a relationship with Him. If He is not first in our lives, then our lives are not what they were made to be. Go further into the story and hear the angel speak to Abraham a second time: “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 18:15-16). God’s provision and blessing follow our obedience. It is His heart and delight to pour out abundance in our lives!

Whether we like it or not, this story is not just for Abraham. It is for me; it is for you. What is the Isaac in our lives? What has captivated our hearts above God? Whatever it is, it is time to lay it down on the altar of the Lord. This is NOT an easy process. It is one that will involve sweat, tears, sacrifice and trust; it is also the very process that will lead us into the right relationship with God and the one in which we will see God’s perfect provision in our lives.

”So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure” (2 Cor 4:17-18).

One thing I have noticed about us as christians is that we do not like challenge, trial or tribulation. What makes christians different than non-christians is that we seem to take these things personally. Often I hear unrealistic shame in words like “my son wouldn’t have done this if I had been a better mother”,“if I hadn’t of let her go out tonight”, “if I had been a more loving wife, my husband would not have looked elsewhere” . We take personal responsibility for things that are not ours to take or feel that it is our personal failing that led us to this place of pain.

Other times I hear words like God must be angry at me; He must want to punish me; He does not have a good plan for my life. There is disappointment with God and anger because we feel He is failing us in some way, that He does not truly love us or want the best for us.

All of these thoughts are directly from the thief that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). The truth taught all throughout Scripture is that God loves you; He calls you by name; and He has a wonderful plan for your life, a plan to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Graham Cooke teaches a different perspective on challenges. Graham calls these things “opportunities”. I wonder how our perspective could change if we could embrace each of our challenges as “opportunities”. Paul’s words could be much more of our reality in that we would not lose heart; instead, in the challenges God could be shaping us, ministering to us, making us to be more like His Son. Sharon Hersh calls this the invitation to walk into the arms of Jesus.

There is no place I would rather be than in the arms of Jesus! Nothing drives us there like pain. Sometimes pain is the greatest gift! The abundant life is not just found in the good times. The abundant life is found in the Lord.

Can you allow The Lord to meet you in your place of struggle today? What do you think He wants to be for you at this time? Will you accept the invitation to walk into the arms of Jesus?

“Yes Jerusalem says, ‘The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us. Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on my hand.”

In Isaiah 49:14 we read the lament we often feel but rarely put voice to: “The Lord has deserted me; the Lord has forgotten me.” Allowing himself the freedom to express the lament opens the Psalmist to hear the Lord’s response: “Never!” The question is then posed to the Psalmist and to us: “Can a mother can forget her nursing child?” A mother would answer emphatically as the Lord did — Never! Having nursed three children, I appreciate this question. The Lord shows great honor for the love a mother has for a child and the privilege of nursing. Even if our minds and hearts would allow us to forget the dependent baby (which we know would not happen), our bodies would not let us forget. God designed our bodies so we could not forget that child, especially at feeding time. At that time, there is nothing we can do BUT nurse and care for that baby!

That is how precious we are to God. Everything in him remembers us, cares for us, longs for us. Could he forget the one he loves so much? Never! To drive the point even deeper into our hearts, the Lord reminds us that our names are engraved on the palm of his hand. When my son has something he absolutely cannot forget, he puts a reminder on his hand. The message on Chase’s hand signifies a priority in his life.

The name on the Lord’s hand signifies a priority in his life — you are that priority! You may not feel that way right now, but every time God looks down, he sees your name. Your name is ever before him, engraved into his skin, his being. There is no way that God could or would forget you.

Do you see your value? Do you see the deep and perfect love of the Father for you? You can never walk in the abundant life until you realize you are loved by the heavenly Father. There is no love greater, no love that will ever meet the deep needs of your heart outside of this love of the Father for you. Far too often, it is this love that we reject. We feel unworthy of love from the King. In fact, I think we often feel we deserve to be rejected, abandoned or forgotten. That has happened before by people we trusted, people like our parents, our spouses, our friends. That pain of abandonment or rejection is deep. Satan plants the lie that is what we deserve, who we are.

The Lord wants to cast out that lie and plant his truth — you are known; you are accepted; and you are loved. See, the Lord is not like your parents, your spouse, your friends. His truth, His promises will never change! His love is perfect and cannot change.

Will you choose to accept this perfect love of the heavenly Father today? Are you willing to look at His hands to see your name? Whether you choose to look or not, your name is there. God’s love is there.

Choose life, abundant life, by choosing to live and believe in God’s love for you. Your name is engraved on the palms of His hands!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

This morning I was talking to a favorite friend of mine. We enjoyed light talk then moved into the realities of a chaotic and challenging summer. I loved her question: “Don’t you just want to take a break from growing, a break from being transformed?” “Yes!” I answered; I love breaks and I do believe God gives us those. However, I want abundant life even more than the break.

This is what I have come to understand. The world showcases the glamorous lives of the rich and famous through movies, TV and tabloids. Facebook or “Fakebook”, as my friend refers to it, portrays problem-free life. What the movies, TV, tabloids and Facebook do not properly portray is what is underneath all the glamour shots. With a close up view, there are things that even facades and make up cannot hide.

Struggle and Pain. Most of the time our lives have some element of struggle and pain. Yes, we can hide it behind facades, make up, busy schedules, exercise addictions, eating disorders, alcohol and anything else used to escape the reality of life. Nevertheless, underneath all the addictions and facades lay the same things — struggle and pain. It is the truth that we desperately don’t want to hear.

Look at the life of Jesus. He shared many wonderful, joy-filled moments with his people. There was also struggle and pain. Jesus experienced much rejection, being misunderstood, anger at those who did not understand his Father, mistrust of his own family, abandonment by his closest friends, then a trip to Calvary and an agonizing death on the cross.

Jesus understands struggle and pain. He did not die to guarantee you a pain-free life. He died to guarantee you a resurrected life. The struggle and pain in our lives are agents of change, agents to take us deeper into that resurrected life. They can be the means to our healing and freedom.

Here is the question: are you willing to trust God with your struggle and pain? Are you willing to allow Him to take you deeper into His heart, His plan, His way? If so, you have to embrace the struggle and pain and allow God to convict, heal and set free. This is our cooperative work in transformation. Like Jesus, we can overcome the world. We can overcome the pain. To overcome, we have to be willing to walk through the process of transformation. The awesome promise of God is that through that transformation we are moving from one degree of glory to another.

Yes, I know we all want a break from the transformation process God works in our lives. But ladies, we have to take heart. The victory has been won for us in the cross. It will be won in us through the Holy Spirit. We, too, will overcome the struggle and pain. In the meantime, we get to move deeper and deeper into the heart of our heavenly Father who loves us beyond comprehension and deeper into the abundant life he has planned for us.

This summer the theme of Cross Train is “More than Conquerors”. It is taken from Paul’s letters to the Romans: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”(8:37-39).

To live an abundant life is to live knowing that we are more than conquerors. How do we do that? Paul makes it very clear that there is nothing (notice how many times the word nor is used — that is definitely for emphasis) that can separate us from the love of God. Absolutely nothing! There is nothing you can do, nothing that can be done, nothing you can think, no failure, not even death can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus took all those things on himself so that you could live free and secure.

Ladies, a key to the abundant life is living in that love, resting in it, receiving it. How are you doing with this? You are called to be “more than a conqueror”. Thankfully, this is not something we do on our own but something we do through our Lord. It starts with His love.

My heart’s desire for each of us is to fully embrace God’s love for us. Even more, I know it is God’s desire for us. Can you imagine? God gave His only Son so that we could live in relationship with Him. He has provided everything we need for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3). Despite all that, we deny, resist, and refuse His love then blame it on our unworthiness.

On the cross, Jesus said you are worthy. You are worthy of the body and blood of Jesus; you are worthy of the love of your heavenly Father; and you are worthy of the abundant life. Thank God that the body and blood of Jesus declared us worthy — cleanses us, heals us and makes us into the righteousness of Christ.

Will you take a few minutes today to ask God what it would look like for you to live in His love? Then, ask Him what it looks like for you to live as “more than a conqueror”? I know God has awesome things to show you!

Join us this summer as Cross Train takes a new approach to training. Our focus this summer: Faith, Fitness and Fellowship.  Monday, July 7 marks the beginning of the July session.

Faith: We will continue to enjoy daily devotions and prayers as well as weekly blog postings, focusing on stewardship of the body and personal faith development.

Fitness: Strength Fit workouts are designed to challenge every muscle of the body. We go through circuits of strength training followed by cardio intervals which allow for great calorie burn and fitness gain. If you want to change your body, this is the workout for you! The other great advantage — Strength Fit works for every level of training from beginner to advanced.

Fellowship: Workouts are just more fun with other women, especially in the context of a Christian community. Our goal is to build each other up by encouraging one another, pushing each other when needed and accepting and loving one another. In each workout, we find that we work hard and have a great time doing it! To build this fellowship, we will also enjoy monthly Healthy Happy Hours and Saturday Socials.

Want more? How about weekly teachings on the Habits of Health along with healthy recipes.

Summer training starts on Monday, June 7. We will meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 7:00 to 8:15 am at St. Peters Church in Lake Mary.

Monthly fee: $65.

For those who cannot commit to training every day, join us for the day for $10 per session. Also, anyone is invited to Saturday Social runs and walks and the devotional blogs are free.

As a health coach and a trainer, I come across so many people who struggle with their self worth due to weight issues.  Here is a quote from Stacey Eldredge’s most recent book entitled  BECOMING MYSELF:  “God wants you to love and enjoy everything about yourself right now and embrace the truth that you are a beautiful woman regardless of your measurements”(p.91).  That is a profound truth that I challenge all of us to accept.  We do not earn God’s love and acceptance when we reach a certain weight.  We are not more worthy when wearing a size 4. Instead, we are made worthy through the precious blood of Jesus.  When God looks at us, he sees us through the lens of his Son.  We are made worthy through him.  We are also God’s design.  As Psalm 139 says, he knit us together in our mother’s womb and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Can you accept this truth about yourself today?  Can you accept God’s love for you just as you are?  I pray that each of us would see ourselves as God’s precious creation, planned, accepted and loved.

Below is a great article I came across the other day and wanted to share:

I’m fascinated by how widely body image norms vary around the world, and through time. Recently, my kettlebell coach and I were discussing how some African cultures go to great lengths to intentionally “fatten up” young women, in an effort to improve their marriage prospects. And there was a time in history when looking heavy was in vogue among European royals—it was an indication of prosperity.

Different times, different continents, different messages. Yet they still affect each of us on a very personal level. I have always had a very solid BMI, but I can remember my grandma shipping me a vat of natural peanut butter and a case of pork and beans because she thought I looked thin a few years ago—she likes to see me a little rounder. It’s a complete 180 from the weight-obsessed landscape we’re all presented with when we pick up a magazine or turn on the TV. But while they may be conflicting, these messages also surface a wonderful possibility. Each of us has the power to be the boss of how much mental real estate we devote to our weight. We don’t have to surrender how we feel about our bodies to any media storyline, fashion trend, or ad campaign.

Releasing the stress and psychological terrorism of being constantly focused on the number on the scale does not mean you have to let yourself go. (I actually lost 10 pounds when I stopped fixating on that number!) You can still place a high value on healthy living without being weight-focused. Here’s how to stop obsessing and keep your healthy habits on track.

1. Be happy now One major reason we get so fixated on our weight is the temptation to almost hold our breath in anticipation of how ENTIRELY AWESOME life will magically become when we lose 5, 10, 20, or 50 pounds. Unfortunately, this is a delusion.

Think of the people in your life already wearing the skinny jeans you fantasize about squeezing into one day. Are they blissfully happy, skipping through life without a single worry? Probably not. There are plenty of miserable people out there who have what we think will make us happy, and any time we hold out for happiness, waiting for some future wish to come true, we are selling ourselves short.

Try this instead: Visualize reaching your goal—close your eyes and allow yourself to feel the happiness you expect to feel when you get there. You’re genuinely happy, and possibly even smiling, right? Guess what, you just created that happiness in your own heart and mind, and you have the power to keep doing it everyday. So do it. Practice being happy on a regular basis, feeling exactly as happy as you think you’ll be when you get to your end goal. Pretty soon, you’ll break the mental link between being happy in the future and the number on the scale, and you’ll just simply be happy.

2. Treat your body like it’s the only one you’ll get—because it is! We only get one body to live in, and it’s a good one. If your brain is still functioning, your heart is still ticking, and your lungs still work, you have a lot to thank your body for. If your arms and legs work, too, you should give yourself bonus gratitude points.

It’s a dramatic act of self-violence and resistance to reality to constantly be sucking your stomach in, grabbing your muffin top, or fantasizing how perfect life would be sans stretch marks. Wouldn’t it be better to choose to love exactly what you’ve got? And then, to love it so much that you treat it with kindness, respect, and immaculate care? Taking care of this one precious body means giving it the healthiest fuel possible and staying fit, but also refusing to berate it when it gets hungry or succumbs to a kryptonite food moment.

Approaching your efforts to improve your eating and exercise habits from a place of love and self-approval is much more sustainable than coming from a place of self-loathing or critique. Also, self-acceptance triggers a relaxation response—a feeling that you’ll want to continue creating, rather than the stress and anxiety triggered by constant self-criticism.

3. Focus on your actions, not the scale Put your attention on things you can control by focusing on the quality and quantity of your food and fitness activities. Find whole foods that are nutritious, and that you also enjoy eating, and track your food daily. You’ll gain critical awareness of macros and calories, which many of us have lost after years of eating processed on autopilot.

Then, find ways to make exercise fun, and turn your workout into a “play-out!” It’s so much easier to get out the door to participate in activities that you actually enjoy. Experiment with exercises that help you move and strengthen your body, and think of it as part of the adventure of life and the process of raising the bar on your self-care game—not as part of a desperate effort to move the needle on the scale

In the process, you’ll realize it’s a lot easier to create healthy, enjoyable habits when you focus on what you can actually control rather than simply sitting back and obsessing about your weight.

BY TARA-NICHOLLE NELSON