Change and the Champion

Matthew 18:3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.


Today I was thinking about the concept of being "changed." Recently I have lost about 20+ pounds. I started in January of 2008 and as of today I am a different person than I was last year. I still have about 15 pounds to go but because it took me about six years to gain all the weight from having my children... I've given myself six years to lose it. So 1 year- 20lbs... I'm doing ok. What blows my mind is how it happened and what happened to me during my pursuit of being healthier. I am about 5'2 and it's always been a struggle for me to lose weight. If I eat an entire sandwich like any average sized human being, I gain five pounds. If I eat half the sandwich I maintain my weight and if I eat a quarter of the sandwich and work out I might lose a pound or two. It's always been an uphill battle for me when it comes to weight. In January, I was really wanting to be "healthy". I told my prayer partner Jill that I needed prayer in this area. She prayed for me. Everything she said during the prayer made sense, my body is a gift from God, God wants me to be healthy, God loves us so he wants us to use our body to glorify him etc.etc. It all made sense in my heart... so I decided to start working out one hour a day... for me and my body. It was my own little hour to myself. It was a dedication to myself and the body he gave me. Mind you, I have gone down this path before and had no luck. Working out.. eating right... still I maintained the status quo. I was not convinced God was going to give me the boost I needed. I had this feeling he wanted me to "get to work... " So, I began my workout regimen and saw the pounds literally started to drop. Every week, I went up and down and up and down. (I even prayed for the Holy Spirit to multiply my workout) Eventually there were more downs than ups and here I am today 20lbs lighter. During the process I realized that although I do not consider myself an athlete nor have I ever been called an athlete by anyone growing up that this focus on getting my body healthy and asking God to help me made me feel like a champion. But when it comes to losing the weight. I give all the glory to God. It was my spirit inside telling me there was a champion waiting to get out. A changed person who knows God intimately. A changed person who looks forward to the joy that comes each morning. A changed woman with the love of God in her heart. Now... I have 15 more pounds to go and I saw this verse... how else God... do you want me to change? What's next? Can't wait!