Ezra 10:4 "Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it!"
Ezra was a priest at a time when the Israelites were marrying women they were told by God not to. Ezra was very upset by this and was praying, obviously upset. One of the men approached Ezra and basically said, "yeah, we have messed up pretty good and we know it. We should put away the pagan women and the children we had with them. You're the priest, the one who speaks for God, you know what we are supposed to do. Stand up and do what you are supposed to do, tell us what to do!" Ezra did. Ezra had to stand before all of Israel and tell them they had done wrong, that they needed to turn away from it completely to make it right. I bet that was hard for him. Probably a lot harder than it is for me to turn away from the cheese danishes sitting on my kitchen counter right now.
Can you tell that this one is about being overweight? I wasn't always. Once I was thin and full of energy. Then my parents got divorced. I gained weight. Then I lost weight. Then I gained weight, had a baby, gained weight, had another baby, gained more weight. Do you see the picture developing here. There always seemed to be something that triggered weight gain, but my weight is MY responsibility. I gain weight because I choose to allow it. I am an emotional eater. I get upset and reach for food to comfort me. That is not what I should be doing. Jesus is the ultimate comforter. I should be turning to Him with my problems and talking to Him about them rather than ranting and raving and eating. So today is Day 1, again. I need to rise up to the challenge and just do it, again. So I am back on www.sparkpeople.com This isn't my first time on Spark, it's my 4th. The first time I wasn't very serious or into the program. I was trying to do it on my own, not using the support system there. I failed. The second I was a little more serious, but still didn't use the support system. I failed again. The third time I jumped in whole heartedly, I made friends on there that not only encouraged me but I took time to know and encourage them also. I lost 40 lbs before I became pregnant and had to stop dieting for obvious reasons. Why did it work? I believe it was because I connected with others, and I started turning to God for comfort. The "we are with you" helps strengthen our courage, knowing we aren't alone. We aren't the only ones who feel the way we feel right now. It never ceases to amaze me how God finds a way to reach me no matter how I feel or what is going on in my life. He sent His Son here so that He could experience all of it. He knows what it is like to be rejected, to feel alone, to feel different. That is why He is such an awesome comforter. This verse came to me when I needed inspiration and encouragement, and on my first day back at spark, weighing 10 lbs more than I did last time I started, I really needed it. I share it hoping it will inspire someone else to arise and take responsibility knowing that WE are with you. You CAN do it! If you want to follow me on Spark I am Sunflowers4Me. If you want to begin your own weight loss journey, please scan the bar on the right hand side of the screen and click the link to sparkpeople. It is totally free and I get absolutely nothing for telling you about it, but it does work!
