Gettin' Fit

I'm not quite sure what has come over me, but in the past couple of months, I've really wanted to kick my bad habits and nurture good ones. Perhaps it's the understanding that there is a little one in my midst who watches my every move and will, one day, be replicating lots of what I do. It's what spurred on the desire to be in the Word everyday, and to be praying without ceasing. It's also what has encouraged me to get serious about getting fit.

I've wanted to lose some weight for a long time now, but kept coming up with excuses. Some lame. Some legitimate. One of my more legitimate (I think...) excuses was that I knew that getting fit meant some serious dedication. If I was going to get serious about something, shouldn't it be something of more eternal value? I mean, come on, this body, fit or not, is staying here. Shouldn't I spend my time exercising and equipping my soul?

I think this is a legitimate concern. If you only have 15 minutes of free time in a day (we ALWAYS have more than that, we just don't like to admit it...) don't you think it is better to spend it in the Word than at the gym?

I also thought losing weight would mean spending a lot of time thinking about ME- my weight, my exercise, what I was eating, etc. That didn't seem very holy to me.

But if you remember the two verses that are the heart of this blog- you will see that losing weight can be done with a pure heart for Jesus.

Remember when we talked about Colossians 3:17? Exercising on the elliptical, eating a balanced diet, counting calories- all of it can be done for His glory if we are mindful of Christ and thankful to God.

Then there's our Titus 2 passage. One of the virtues in self-control. That's what led up to this commitment to getting serious about getting fit. Yes, losing weight would mean thinking a lot about me, but it would also mean giving up some tough sins- using food to satisfy all sorts of desires (most of which can be satisfied in Him) and choosing to be extravagant instead of prudent.

It's only been a few days since I started this challenge, so I'm still finding joy in the hard work : ) I know that self-control and discipline is not easy, but is how Christ is calling us to live. He certainly lived a life of control and discipline, didn't he?

So now, a challenge. Two actually. Would you consider praying for me as I seek to be self-controlled? Would you hold me accountable and ask me on a Sunday morning how things are going?

And.... if you, like me, could benefit from a bit of self-control in action, will you consider how you can get fit for Jesus? I'd love to share with you, specifically, what I am doing. Perhaps we can share a light lunch together : )