Holy, Healthy, Whole: Growing Fruits of the Spirit for Weight Loss and Wellnessნიმუში

Love is…

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13 (NIV)

When you consider how the Bible describes love, it can be tough to see how that fits into your weight loss journey. The Bible says love is patient and kind.

When I was losing 100 pounds, I was impatient. I wanted to get to my goal weight, and I wanted to be there by yesterday, thank you very much.

When I was at my heaviest, the words I spoke to myself were unkind. Words like, “How could you have let yourself get this way?” and “Look at what you just ate. No wonder you are so fat. You totally pigged out.”

Yet the Bible is clear that we are to be loving, both to ourselves and to others.

God is love, and He gives us the ultimate example of love in His son, Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross to take away the punishment for sin. That punishment should have been yours and mine.

Consider the changes that would happen if you wrapped your weight loss journey in God’s love.

Create a love focus by filling in your name in these blanks:

____________ is patient getting to her goal weight.

____________ speaks kindly to herself about her body.

____________ is not jealous of others who have lost weight.

____________ gives God all the credit for her weight loss progress.

_____________ does not insist on her own way to weight loss but follows God’s direction.

_____________ is not irritable about eating healthy foods or moving her body.

_____________ does not get excited about splurging on unhealthy foods that are outside her food plan, nor does she encourage others to do so.

_____________ is honest about her eating, exercise, and weight.

_____________ deals with any challenges that come up on her way to her goal weight.

_____________ believes she will be healed of her unhealthy food behaviors.

_____________ puts her hope in God to lead to weight loss.

_____________ doesn’t quit.

Reflection: Which of these statements challenges you the most? Why? Which one brings the most comfort?

Prayer: God, today I wrap my weight loss journey in the perfect love You have for me. I choose patience and kindness rather than defeat and self-pity. Thank you, Lord, for your amazing love for me. Amen.