Are things really the way we see them?

Are things really the way we see them? 

Are the numbers real? How important are they? What do they really mean?

For the third week in a row, I gained a pound. Yes, again, I gained!

Last week, I had a mini melt down. This week, I said, "oh well!"

What's the difference in the attitude?

The difference is realizing I am healthier. I am becoming more physically fit. I am now able to power walk a little over six miles without thinking I'm going to die along the way. During our weekly boot camp with a personal trainer, he said, "You are doing a lot better this week! How are you feeling?" I was able to say, "Good!" and mean it!

So, Are things really the way we see them?

Yes and No. Yes, the number reflects my weight at this current moment. No, things are "not" the same. I have gained a lot of muscle and lost many inches. I am becoming a healthier me no matter what number is on the scales. I must continue to persevere! 

^"2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 NIV

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea Bowling Perdue

ONE POUND

Often we do not view ourselves correctly. Most importantly we do not see ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God. It is easy to get discouraged and frustrated.

As I weighed in this week and received the news of "gaining" another pound I had a meltdown moment.

"Another pound".....WHAT?

Gaining distracted me from all the progress I made. I allowed ONE POUND to over shadow the facts of my progress.

Progress:

~Excercised every day!

~Two days in a row, I power-walked just under SEVEN miles. I even jogged "a little" of it! This alone is HUGE for me.

~My clothes are lose.

Refocusing and remembering a very important Bible verse:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea Bowling Perdue

Ups and Downs

There are ups and downs in every journey. Last week, I "gained" a pound.

Do you know how much a pound is? It is four sticks of butter.

Do you know how hard it is to get that pound and others back off? Well, I'm sure you do, but I needed to scream at someone other than myself. Now would be the time to metaphorically duck!

On top of gaining a pound this week my joints have continuously screamed at me. If you are thinking, "she is not a happy camper." Well, my wonderful husband would say, "you are absolutely correct."

Each week we have a weekly challenge. I don't think it co-incidence my challenge is to memorize James 1:2-4.

"Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face troubles of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 NIV

As I consider my memory verse, I am reminded we all face "trials of many kinds" on a daily basis whether they have anything to do with weight loss or not. Each of us must persevere! I must keep working on becoming a better me until I step into heaven at the end of my earthly life.

Let's remember, God completes us as we allow Him to work in and through our lives. We can NOT do this on our own, but we can do this by embracing our Heavenly Father in each moment and in each step on the path to health and freedom. God promises to be with me/us!

In one way or another we are all on the same journey....a journey of faith, healing, and happiness. Yes, we can be happy in our circumstances, happy knowing "we're a work in progress" and we are all in this together!

So, do NOT allow the "Ups and Downs" of this life to get you down. Grab hold of the hand of your Heavenly Father and cling tightly as you continue putting one foot in front of the other on your journey.

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea Bowling Perdue

~Answered Prayer: Doug and I received the results from his last biopsy and there is NO cancer growth over this past year! Yes, you heard me right...NO cancer growth. We are praising GOD for all HE continues to do in and through our lives. We thank each of you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. You will never know what you mean to us.

Go BIG or NOT at All!

"Go BIG or NOT at All" seems to be a way of thinking common in our world and one we often get hung up on. We all like to see "BIG" results when we work on a project. So, imagine the project remodel is your body.....your heart! At first, the prospect of a remodel may not seem overwhelming, but the more closets you clean out and the more mess and excess baggage you uncover reveals a huge task.One you are not sure you are ready or want to take on.

Next, you sign up for an accountability group at church. What in the world were you thinking? Each week you weigh in. The first week you lose 4.4 pounds. The next week you lose 1 pound. For real, all that hard work and you barely lose a pound the second week. Sadly, you realize the real work of heart reform isn't going to show up on the scales. The heaviest weight is not going to count in monetary form.

Yes, it's Me! Lifestyle change can be difficult. The greatest reform is going on in my heart. I realized I was using food to self medicate whether happy or sad. They say the first step is acknowledging it. For me, that was the easy step and the first brick of a heavy load I tossed. The real work is a daily battle. I am learning to fill my heart with God, His love, and His word rather than food or other unhealthy choices.

Now, back to the numbers, because I'm sure I'm not the only one who loses focus on the real goal of heart reform and gets caught up in the numbers. I'm very thankful for the five pounds and four ounces I lost. So thankful, I'm including the four ounces. After all, four ounces is a quarter of a pound of fat and in my world it's worth not forgetting.

What I've recognized is there are at least two ways of looking at these numbers:

1) Five point four pounds...that's all I lost in two weeks. This is too hard. I quit!

2) WOW, GOD helped me peel away five point four pounds of physical weight from my body and even more from my heart and soul. Some days this is very hard, but it feels good! With God's help, I can do it! And on the days when the work of heart reform and obedience is too hard I will lean heavily upon my Heavenly Father and trust Him with the journey.

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea Bowling Perdue