"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
On Wednesday mornings I am blessed to take part in a women's bible study at my church. This session I am studying the book Stuck by Jennie Allen with a wonderful group of ladies. This morning the above verse was part of our group discussion. I immediately knew I would be blogging about it today!
Anytime you are working toward a goal it is very important to keep a positive mind. That is especially true with weight loss. I am a strong believer in positive thinking and the amazing effects it can have on your circumstances. But is there a point when being positive can hurt you? I believe there is...let me explain.
There was a point for me during this journey that I started feeling a little down on myself. My body image wasn't where I wanted it to be. I wasn't feeling great about myself at all. I remember sitting down with someone to pour out my heart and as soon as I started to break down I was stopped in my tracks and in no uncertain terms told to suck it up and get over myself. Ouch. Now don't get me wrong...sometimes we need to be put in our place. Sometimes we revert to whining about everything that goes wrong, complaining and making excuses for our failures. But other times we genuinely struggle. We have real, true issues that need to be worked through. That doesn't mean we lose our positive outlook...it just means that we are human and imperfect. So, in that moment I did just that...I sucked it up. I turned off the tears and let the negative self talk take over again. I kept my hurt to myself. I felt worse....WAY worse.
Imagine with me if you will a person who has just entered this journey of weight loss for the first time. They are inspired by your story. They work hard to do everything just right so that they can get results like yours. You share with them all of your "secrets" and encourage them along the way. You are always upbeat, happy and it seems to them that you have it all together. Then one day they have a moment of weakness and "cheat" on their meal plan....they skip their workouts for a week....they gained a pound. If all they have seen are your good days....if you haven't shared that you, too, have struggled....if you pretend like weight loss is all sunshine and rainbows....then how do you think that person is going to feel? They will feel like a complete failure and will either slip back into old habits and struggle more or give up completely.
Please let me be clear....there is a distinct difference between complaining and sharing our real struggles or pain. People complain for attention or because they are truly miserable and feel the need to pass that on to others. People share their struggles because they aren't afraid to admit that they cannot do this by their own strength. We share struggles to show that we are imperfect souls who are loved by a perfect God.
Let me tell you, friends....joining this "Stuck" study has opened my eyes to the fact that even those who seem to have it all together are just as imperfect as the rest of us. EVERYONE struggles. I also know that having that knowledge makes it so much easier to admit my mistakes and flaws. It also makes my struggles easier when I can share it with someone who has been through what I'm dealing with. Lets not be afraid to be imperfect. Lets not hesitate to share when we struggle or when we hurt. Do not be afraid to reach out when you need someone to lend an ear or a shoulder. We were made to be imperfect and flawed. We were made to rely on God for our needs.
So, let me ask you....is God your first line of defense when you struggle? If I'm being honest I have to say that no, He isn't always my first stop. It is something I am working on...because I definitely do not have it all together and I most certainly cannot do it alone. When we learn to find our strength in Him, we can overcome our hardships and our struggles and when we are raised out of the pit He will receive the glory. What better way to share God with our friends and neighbors?
These days I am definitely doing a lot more growing (spiritually) than shrinking (weight wise) but I am learning to fill the void with God and His word rather than food. I'm far from where I want to be but I do have hope and a positive outlook that only by the Grace of God will I overcome this struggle. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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