Such a Time as This

"Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died." Esther 2:7


As I've been reading the Old Testament, I've taken notice of how many times the Bible talks about the beauty of women. Abraham's wife Sarah was depicted as beautiful (Genesis 12:11, 14), Isaac's wife Rebekah was also 'beautiful' (Genesis 26:7), and Jacob's wife Rachel was described as "lovely in form, and beautiful" (Genesis 29:17).
 
As I did more research and I came to Esther, I thought of the importance of her looks. She was described above as "lovely in form and features" meaning that she obviously had a nice body to go along with her pretty face. Most of you know the story of Esther, but in case you need a quick review - when the Babylonian King of the time decided to look for a new wife to replace the one who dishonored him, a search was formed to find the most beautiful young virgins; after 12 months of beauty treatments (Esther 1:12) , these women were allowed to approach the King; and the King was most attracted to the Jewish Hadassah (Esther 1:17), who had become known as Esther. When the King's 'chief of staff' (my term, not the Bible's) Haman plotted to kill all the Jews, Mordecai, the girl's cousin and caretaker (see verse above), said to Esther "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther saved her people and the day by using her position as Queen to convince the King (in a nutshell).
 
Now, I will preface this entry by saying that we as a society can get too caught up in looks. I also believe that beauty comes from the inside out. That said, God never once said there was anything wrong with being beautiful. Some of the first wives in the Bible were described as such. Asking God to make you beautiful both on the inside (your heart) and the outside (your looks) wouldn't provoke His wrath, I don't think. In fact, I think there are times that God can use our looks for His benefit (after all, He created us!!!).
 
Hadassah was lovely in form. She didn't have a problem with obesity or laziness, evidently. She was also lovely in features and had 12 months (that would translate to one year for us) of beauty treatments before seeing the King. Can we commit to a healthier lifestyle for 12 months? Can we prepare ourselves for meeting our King, the one true God? If we were going to meet someone very important, I bet we would do what we could to make ourselves presentable from brushing our hair to putting on some make-up and a nice, clean and attractive outfit. How much more should we prepare to see our God? We are, after all, the bride of Christ! Or, for that matter, what about our earthly husbands? There are times that I think "wow...he means so much to me and yet he's seeing me at my very worst." I think 12-months of beauty treatments seems like a lot when you see what it was Esther and the others were going through - yet I think losing weight doesn't happen overnight. I think a year to lose some serious pounds sounds like a good start. And who knows what our reward will be?
 
Could God use our looks for His glory? YES! The King was attracted to Esther, he took her as his wife, and God used the appointment to save His people... she looked her best for 'such a time as this.' I think there is something in society that allows more attractive people to have more influence. I think better-looking folks get better jobs. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it happens. God can use our obedience to be the best we can be to give us appointments that He can ultimately use.
 
The Lord gave us the "lovely features" - we're each a unique and beautiful person the way we were created. Now it's time for our beauty treatments. It's time for us to step up to the plate and try to be 'lovely in form.' I think it's time that we are the best we can be so that we can be used in a mighty and powerful way. And, when we are beautiful, it's not for our glory. All the praise and honor belong to God alone. He alone can transform us and use us - we are simply His vessels waiting to be used for His purposes. May we be His beautiful bride!
 
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You would take the above passage and bring it to life and say what You want revealed. God, we long to be beautiful like the wives of long ago. We desire to be 'lovely in form and features.' God, we don't want to ask for things that are wordly or selfish; but, we ask that you cleanse our heart, purify our mind and give us holy desires, that we would be set apart for Your glory. Lord, we want to be Your beautiful bride. We want to be used for such a time as this. Please take our lives over these next 12 months and transform us with your beauty treatments - inside and out. Please penetrate our lives with Your holy Word. May we be living sacrifices, beautiful, and used for Kingdom purposes in such a time as this. In Jesus' powerful and precious name, AMEN!

Eating Enough

At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her."So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. Ruth 2:14-18

I love little reminders in God's Word where He tells us He remembers us and our struggles. I've been reading the Old Testament, and in Ruth, a couple of these verses stood out to me as reminders from God. First, verse 14 tells us that Ruth ate all she wanted and had some left over. So, it's not a 'sin' to not eat everything put in front of you. Unlike the generation of cleaning your plate, it's okay to eat and have some left over. Then we see in verse 18 that Ruth was able to bless her mother-in-law and give her 'what she had left over after she had eaten enough.' We are to eat 'enough'... no more, no less. The Holy Spirit will teach us what 'enough' is and we need to listen to His promptings. Hopefully we will be able to bless those we love when we listen to Him. May our 'left-overs' be blessings to us and our family!

Dear God, thank You for Your Word and the constant reminders that You know our struggles and love us amidst them. God, You are amazing. I'm enthralled by Your Word and Your love. May we come to know You more deeply and learn how You would like us to behave. May we have 'left-overs' and bless others by eating just enough. Please help us! Please make us thin, beautiful and self-controlled for Your glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Blessed Are You Who Hunger Now

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." Luke 6:21

I remember going out to lunch with skinny friends or my mom, and I would be all-but appalled when they would cut their sandwich in half and not eat very much (in my eyes). I, in the meantime, could have eaten my entire foot-long sub, the entire bag of chips, all three cookies and downed my drink and still had a snack later that afternoon if offered. I didn't understand how they could eat so little and not be starving. I didn't really grasp the concept that eventually your body gets used to eating less and you become satisfied with what you've eaten.

In fact, I read somewhere that our stomachs are only supposed to be about the size of our fists. People can eat small portions and feel completely full when they've treated their bodies correctly. It takes the rest of us some getting used to, though. I also remember hearing a girl say that when we're full, our bodies naturally let out a big sigh. So many of us eat beyond that point (where our bodies have let out air to try and make room for what's coming in). I've eaten to the point of physically not feeling well just because something tasted good. I'm having to re-train my thinking into realizing that if the food goes to waste, it at least isn't going to my waist. I have to get out of the 'clean-your-plate' mentality and think in smaller portions, taking less when at home or taking some home when possible to share with others or allowing it to be tossed, realizing that it will be 'waste' either way at that point.

If you're accustomed to overeating, though, when you first say no to that extra, you feel hungry. It's half mental and the other half is physical. Your body is used to consuming a lot of calories and has become used to that lifestyle. But, God tells us we're blessed when we're hungry, for we will be satisfied. I think we'll eventually be satisfied with what little we're eating, I think we'll be satisfied with our bodies and how they look, and most of all we will be satisfied with God and not need to get our satisfaction from earthly food. Get ready to be satisfied and laugh! :)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching us how to eat. Thank You that You realize it's not fun to be hungry, but thank You for promising blessings along the way. Please help us to be satisfied. We love You and long to glorify You in all we say and do. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

With God ALL Things Are Possible

^"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26

Jesus' disciples had asked Him who can be saved, and He noted that with God ALL things are possible. There are so many times that I feel like losing weight is impossible - it's not in my genes, I haven't developed good habits, it's difficult to take off weight, etc. But, I need to rid myself of this thinking. In fact, I was just talking to my husband about this very thing this morning before reading this verse. I talked about a series of pictures I had seen on Facebook of a woman who had some sort of surgery to help her lose weight and she was standing there in a size 4 jean and looked amazing. I told him that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to wear a size 4 anything. He told me that I won't with that kind of thinking, which is true. I need to focus on this being the Lord's battle. With God, ALL things are possible. If it were just me on my own, I wouldn't have lost this much weight already. Instead, it's been Christ in me and God's Word that's been transforming my mind and body for His glory. With Him, ALL things are possible, including a new healthy, thin me. AND YOU!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this reminder that with You, God, ALL things are possible. Lord, please save us! Please help us! Please make us thin and healthy for Your glory. We love You, Lord Jesus. In Your name we pray, AMEN!

Drink from the river of life

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart." Psalm 36:5-10

These verses were part of my Bible study the other day. Of course, "they feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights" jumped off the page at me. The basic premise for the inclusion of these verses was that we, as Christians, may know God and yet still long to do worldly things because they seem more fun, fulfilling or satisfying. I remember the analogy of doing the Christian-thing because it's good for us like bran but we desire the chocolate malt of what we mistakingly perceive people have who are not living according to Biblical principles.

How far that thinking is from the truth! God wants us to feast from His abundance and drink from the river of His delights. Beth Moore noted that in Christian circles, there are times that we're just simply doing what our parents did or what our church has taught us rather than trying to intimately discover who the Lord is and what He has for us. She discussed the Garden of Eden where God told Adam & Eve that they could eat of any tree except for one, and He had created an abundance for them to enjoy. Beth Moore said we've been living on apples & bananas and we're getting bored, but God has created all sorts of other things for us to consume and enjoy like mangos, papayas and pineapples. We're living off of sermons we hear and a strict diet of the same ol' thing when there's so much more that God has for us if we'd wholeheartedly follow Him! Within the confines of His authority, there are the greatest pleasures we could know! And, He doesn't withold good things from His children. He wants the best for us! He created love, marriage, family, and all sorts of other things for our enjoyment because He loves us.

God's love is unfailing. He will satisfy our deepest cravings. I'm learning that eating - while it may feel satisfying at the moment - does not really get to my deepest longings. I remember the feeling of being absolutely full and yet craving something to eat or munch on. Boredom or dissatisfaction was one of my biggest challenges. It's not certain types of food that will bring me delight - it's a relationship with the Creator of all sorts of delights. A river of them, in fact!  He encourages us to drink! He is the living water! And He is the giver of life. May you be encouraged to fall more deeply in love with Him today and feast and drink on what He has for you, which will make you healthier and thinner.

Dear Heavenly Father, first I must say how grateful I am that Your love reaches to the heavens and Your faithfulness stretches to the skies. Thank You for giving us refuge beneath Your wings and allowing us to feast on the abundance of Your house and drink from Your river of delights. Lord, I ask that You would take our breath away (well, not literally, but You know what I mean). Make us yearn for more of You. May we be satisfied in our relationship with the Creator of every good and perfect gift and not try to find some would-be-satisfaction from worldly pleasures that only make us feel more empty inside and fatter on the outside. Keep us in step with You and focused on You - show us the treasures You have for us. And, Lord, please make us healthy and thin for Your glory. We love You! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Present Your Requests to God

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Are you anxious about losing weight? I admit that I have been. It's easy to see the holidays around the corner and start to worry about losing more now to make up for the times we'll be eating more or think we won't make it through this next season. But, God tells us not to be anxious about anything. In EVERYTHING - which includes weight loss! - by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we are supposed to present our requests to God. So, we need to be praying... and we need to be thanking.

The other night as I was tucking my son into bed, he was thanking Jesus for everything, from triangles to trains to people. At first I was blessed, and then I was hoping to rush him along since it was time for lights out. But, God doesn't tire of our prayers, especially when we're thanking Him for His blessings. I think being thankful keeps us focused on the things that are noble, pure, just, etc.

What else I find special about these verses is that God promises to guard our hearts and minds with His peace. What an amazing thought! If it's true that the war will be won in the battle ground of our minds, we've found a key in guarding that area of our lives. God's peace, which is a result of bringing our petitions to Him. So, let's do that now!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for helping us lose weight. Thank You for each and every pound that has been shed. Lord God, help us not be anxious about this journey or the weight we need to lose or the time of year. Jesus, with thanksgiving, we come to you with the following petition: make each one of us healthy and thin. May we be transformed with new physical bodies for Your glory, prepared to do the good work that You've called us to do. We also ask that You guard our hearts and minds with Your peace. And, we thank You for it! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Challenge

We've had 56 days together on this journey of losing weight. I'm not sure how many people even read this blog, but I'm enjoying writing it. Writing is a passion of mine, and I love to journal, so this is just a public diary where I'm trying to put to practice Scriptures that I feel the Lord has given me in this weight loss journey. But, each person is on their own individual journey, I realize. And, if I've learned nothing else, it's that it's God's Word that is really going to transform us from the inside out.

So, my challenge to you is this, has God given you any Scripture verses along the way that you would like to share? You've listened to me, and I'd like to listen to you. Feel free to post a comment with one! If you're not actively searching the Lord in His Word for Scriptures to help you along your path, then I'd like to encourage you to start today! There's nothing like it... when you're reading the Bible and seeking God's direction for your life and lo and behold, there is a verse that God wrote directly to you to motivate and strengthen you for that day and the coming weeks. If you ask God to give you something, He is gracious and generous with His portions! So, don't wait. Start reading the Bible and seeing what God says about weight loss and healthy living in there. Then comment here. I'd love to hear from you.

May you be blessed in this journey beyond measure!!!