FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT--Hope and Desire

I have been thinking about hope lately. Before I got serious about losing weight back in January, I thought about my obesity every day ... in a bad way. I obsessed over my body, feeling ugly, unmotivated, tired, depressed, overwhelmed, etc. You get the picture. Now, even though I've lost 30 POUNDS (!), I am still quite overweight. I still wear the same size. Not many people have noticed yet that I've even lost any weight at all. So what is the difference between now and before? Now that I'm on the right track with my goals, I have HOPE. I feel an inner drive that propels me forward. I think about my body still, but now, in a good way. I appreciate my increase in energy. I like the way my pants snap easily. I love being able to go up and down the stairs with ease instead of huffing and puffing. Everything about my life is better, fresher, and more joyous. The difference stemmed from my ability to do SOMETHING about it. And that simple decision is blessing my life. Gone are the feelings of self-doubt and frustration. In their place, are feelings of optimism and brightness. Hope and fear cannot coexist. I would therefore put forth the theory that hope comes as the fruits of hard work and spiritual direction.

I thank the Lord for granting me the desire to work hard at losing weight, for giving me this body, and for guiding me as I strive to make better use of it and treat it with more kindness. I truly have hope that things will continue to get better healthwise and otherwise as I put in the hours: planning meals, working out, learning to deal with stress and cope in a healthy way. Thank you all for offering words of hope to me. I love each of you!