A funny thing happened to me recently...
I was linking up my blog at Tell His Story and the post by Jennifer Dukes Lee caught my attention. It was the beginning of Lent and she was giving up mirrors - all of them.
My first thought was, "I could never do that! There's no way I could get my contact lenses in."
And God immediately replied, "No, but you could give up the scale."
Seriously? I didn't see that one coming!
I'm in the process of fitting back into my jeans and You want me to keep off the scale?
That's just crazy!
I recently finished reading Jeremiah in our Bible Reading Plan and I realized that God called him to do some pretty crazy things too, such as:
- NOT praying for God's people. (Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14)
- Making a yoke and wearing it on his neck. (Jeremiah 27:2)
- Buying property in the land his nation is being driven out of. (Jeremiah 32:15)
And the one that takes the cake:
- Buying new underwear and wearing it down to the river, where he was instructed to taking it off and bury it. Then a long time later, he was told to dig it back up! (Jeremiah 13:1-4)
Crazy!
Let's face it; God is not beyond doing seemingly crazy things to get His point across. And I'd say not stepping on a scale when you're trying to lose weight definitely falls into that category.
Then I began to wonder, "What is His point?"
The truth is, I get way too hung up on numbers and was getting on the scale far too often. I wasn't using it to track my progress as much as I was using it to see how much I could get away with. Not exactly the best healthy-eating plan, is it? (Could this be why the pounds have been falling off at such an excruciatingly slow pace?)
The point was fitting back into my jeans again (which technically I can do. Now the point is to be able to move in said jeans.) So what does that have to do with numbers? Not much, really.
The point was fitting back into my jeans again (which technically I can do. Now the point is to be able to move in said jeans.) So what does that have to do with numbers? Not much, really.
It's not a bad thing to want to wear my old jeans again. Beating myself up because things aren't happening as quickly as I'd like them to, that's a bad thing. Getting hung up on the numbers, that's a bad thing too.
So why would God want me to stay away from the scale? Maybe because:
- I need to focus on eating what is healthy, not what I can get away with.
- The needle isn't always going to reflect my efforts. I need to focus on doing what I'm supposed to do and not what the scale is saying.
And most importantly:
- The number on the scale IN NO WAY affects how God sees me and should not affect how I see myself.
God clearly instructed me; this much is clear to me because this certainly isn't something I'd come up with myself. So it all comes down to a question of obedience. Knowing what God wants me to do, the question is, do I obey Him or not. If I'm not obedient in the little things, like staying away from the scale, how can He entrust me with bigger things?
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much..." Luke 16:10
I've chosen to stay off the scale - and haven't been on it for four weeks now - even though it makes me a little nervous. I don't trust myself, but I do trust God and want Him to find me trustworthy.
How about you? Has God ever called you to do anything crazy?
Lord, You're always doing things that don't make any sense to me, but I'm thankful for that. If everything fit within my understanding, what kind of God would you be? Thank you for allowing me to hear your voice and for giving me the desire to obey!
TweetHow about you? Has God ever called you to do anything crazy?
Lord, You're always doing things that don't make any sense to me, but I'm thankful for that. If everything fit within my understanding, what kind of God would you be? Thank you for allowing me to hear your voice and for giving me the desire to obey!
Lisa
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I think many of us will be able to relate to this battle! It's hard not to use numbers to measure ourselves by, but God doesn't so we shouldn't either.
God required some crazy things from Ezekiel, too. I'm not sure what I would have thought if I'd been around those days and saw these loony prophets. :) Makes me wonder how we might look like to others now . . .
Yes, there are so many things to wonder about, and God has His plan! I just taught Elijah being scooped up and taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire, driven by a horse of fire... What did Elisha think standing there afterwards? And, it's hard to get the kids to really grasp that with all the TV and electronics today! Thanks for the article!
What so ever He says to you, do it - was what Mary told the servants when the host ran out of wine at the wedding. Some things sound crazy, but we must be ready to obey what ever. Thanks for sharing with us here at "Tell Me a Story."
Loved this because I gave up my scale too. I actually shipped it to my husband who is currently away so I couldn't easily be tempted. We can get caught up in number in so many different areas of our life, can't we? Lifting you up in prayer as I understand this struggle. I love seeing the impact Jennifer's book is having on so many. Blessings.
I just got Jennifer's book, working my way through it. AND finished Jeremiah not long ago. I wrote a post some time ago that my other name is Jeremiah. His reactions, responses, heart explosions are similar to me. The Lord has me in the prophetic section of the Bible more often than anything else. I'm a "focuser" based on what's going around and about the world. Your way of looking at things and sharing things fits right in. Thanks.
I love this post and I am so excited to find your lovely blog through the Jen Dukes blog. I will explore a bit, I am your newest Follower. Susie
Great post! I guess the craziest thing I can think of that God called me to do was to give up setting an alarm clock! I learned to trust Him with my time instead of counting up how much sleep I got or how much sleep I missed each night. He knew what my day was going to be like and how much sleep I needed. And the strange thing is, when He wakes me up earlier than usual to spend more time with Him, it seems He gives me more strength and energy than on the days that I sleep more!