“Ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”  Hebrews 12:4

“I just can’t help it,” a friend told me. “I’ve tried every diet known to man — or woman — and I’ve always failed. God must want me to be fat, for some reason.”

I understood where she was coming from. I’ve done the diet dance, too.  One step forward, two steps back, and a lot of shuffling back and forth getting nowhere.  Is it ever hopeless?

I don’t think so. True, there are some medical conditions that make losing weight difficult.  Low thyroid is one of them.  Hormone imbalances are another.  If it seems that you just can’t lose weight, it’s worth checking out.

But for most of us, it’s a matter of wanting to do it badly enough.  If someone offered my “hopeless case” friend a million dollars if she lost those extra pounds, I bet she would manage it somehow.  I would — if it took 40 days of fasting to accomplish it.  If a doctor told her that she had a month to live unless she lost the weight, my guess is that she would be finding a way to shed it, pronto.

It’s a matter of wanting to do it badly enough to do what it takes to get there.  I’m a tough customer, too, but I have to acknowledge that my problem is more from excusing little “breaks” from my healthy plan too often, and allowing too many interruptions in my exercise routine. Not to mention my penchant for chowing down on carbs and sugar when I’m upset or depressed. I certainly haven’t tried so hard to stick with the plan that I’m bleeding from resisting temptation!

My message to you — and to me — is this:  It isn’t God’s fault. He doesn’t want us to be fat and unhealthy. In fact, if you are a Christian, you represent Him.  How you look reflects on Him.  He made your body to be self-healing.  It is always trying to get you up to speed and keep you there, whether you know it or not. It’s your job to give it the help it needs by eating low glycemic foods, taking good supplements, and getting regular exercise.

And it also helps to take your troubles to Him instead of to Dairy Queen.

If you want that healthy fit body enough, you can have it.  It just means working a little harder for a little longer.  After all, you haven’t yet resisted unto blood!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown