If He Can Do It, then So Can I (and so can you!)

The Toledo Blade reprinted a story from the Dallas Morning News the other day that was incredibly inspirational to me.  It's the story of Harry Chapman, who lost more than 100 pounds in two years.  His epiphany was very similar to my own, and his starting weight was just slightly more than mine.  He was wearing size 44 pants; I was severely straining my size 42s.

Harry lost his weight the old-fashioned way: he burned it.  He pulled on swim trunks and dived into the pool.  The heavy-duty exercise routine, combined with practical, healthy eating, eventually transformed his flab to fab.  You can see more pics on the Dallasnews.com website.


If Harry can do it, then I can do it.  And I'm well on my way.  As of this weekend's weigh-in, I'm 4 pounds away from the wedding goal weight, and 24 away from the year-end goal weight.  I'd thought I'd be a lot closer midway through last week, but I stayed bouncing around 224-225 all week before settling at 223.6 on Sunday. 

In weight-loss terms, I was "plateauing" - establishing a new equilibrium in my body before it was ready to restart the body-change process.  Although I couldn't see the changes on the scale, the changes were still taking place.  I'm definitely stronger at the Y.  I can lift more weights for greater rep's now than I could 12 weeks ago.  And as I do the exercise, I can tell that my body's tone is different.  My shoulders and arms are more pronounced; my belly is definitely smaller, and hints of the underlying muscle structure are beginning to be revealed.  I don't plan to ever look like a professional body-builder, but I do want to experience greater muscular definition, and reduction of fatty tissues in all the obvious places.

There's only one way for that to happen: keep up the work-outs.  And the inspiration to keep up comes from many sources - stories like Harry Chapman's, observations of other folks who tell me to keep up the good work, the extra energy and joy that comes with putting on clothes that look good and feel right.  But the greatest inspiration continues to come from God.  As I shared at last week's Ash Wednesday service, I have given my whole body to God: my physical condition, my mental attitude, my emotional outlook, and my spiritual health.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 7:1, "[L]et us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."  The Lord has brought to my attention all the things that I was previously doing to contaminate my body and leave it unholy.  And therefore, I was being irreverent to God.  Dr. Pepper may taste good in my mouth, but it leaves me contaminated in my pursuit of holiness.  Ditto for potato chips, 3/4-pound burgers from Chili's, loaded pizza from Donato's (or anywhere else, for that matter...)  But more than polluting my body, I was polluting my spirit with thoughts of unworthiness, irresponsibility, helplessness, and more.  But God is purifying me, giving me the strength of will to resist the high-calorie, hi-fat foods, and renewing my mind to accept God's image of me rather than my own image of me.

Later in 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote this: "'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:17-18).  I am working to live into this verse as I lose the weight and get healthy.  This is something that I'm doing only because God is making it possible.  It's divine action followed by human response.  So if there is divine action happening in your life to get serious about your weight and health, I encourage you to respond.  If God wants it to happen, then it will happen.  The Lord commends by bringing us all that we need. 

So while I really like and admire Harry Chapman's achievements, and am encouraged by them, I look to God as the source of my power, ability and success thus far, and trust that the one who began this good work in me will be faithful to complete it! (And He'll complete it in YOU, too!)