When I was at the end of all hope and possibility; when I had tried every diet, exercise, weight loss pill and product I could get my hands on, with only disappointing short term luck and ultimate failure, I realized that the only real help I could get was beyond me. I had to look to divine assistance – as my obesity problem was way beyond me – and I thought I had exhausted all possibilities. I was a believer in God, but had mistakenly never thought to seek spiritual help for a physical problem. I had been thankful for my life and the many gifts and blessings I had, but I somehow had the notion that it wasn’t OK to ask God for help in solving a problem. Necessity and desperation were powerful motivators; I was in such trouble I knew there was nothing on earth that could solve my problem, but at 300+ pounds, headed again to 400 pounds, I felt I was close to death. So I tapped into what I believed was my last chance – I prayed to God in appreciation for my life, and asked him to help me save my life.

You may or may not be in the desperate situation that I was, but for today’s journaling, please use my experience and my very real spiritual awakening to put your beliefs and spiritual practices into gear. Most importantly, start by thanking God or the Higher Power for your food, and for the gifts it gives you.

If you overeat or are compulsive about food, you may want to ask God for help in being freed of the problem. Write a prayer of appreciation and as an exercise of faith in action, surrender something connected with the food to God – self-hatred, need for comforting, habits, etc. – the forces that may be causing you to overeat or be compulsive.

–Norris Chumley