I know it's only been a few weeks, but I definitely feel like I have MUCH more energy than I did before. I am able to get more accomplished during the day without feeling sluggish. I have also noticed that my hermit-like tendencies are a little lessened. :-)
And I've already gotten a few compliments that I look like I've lost some weight. The changes may be really small, but I feel better about how I look, too. That makes me feel great!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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Ultimate Weight Loss Goal
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ReplyDeleteToday I wanted to write you a blessing. I can't know what things are on your heart and mind today, but I just want you to know that you are so loved, always. This one's for you
ReplyDeleteA blessing:
“…Our struggle is not against flesh… but against the powers of this dark world.” (Ephesians 6:12)
This morning when you woke up, you probably caught a glance of yourself in a mirror; and being groggy, you likely were not thinking about these goals you’ve been setting for yourself; your visions of the future were not scrolling through your mind to nourish your waking moments with peace and strength; and you couldn’t recall a single word of encouragement that you had heard the day before. You probably thought only of how you needed to pee and brush your teeth. But then when you saw your reflection: puffy skin without any makeup, dirty hair, not smelling great, and smacking your sleep-dried tongue in your mouth; then, in that unguarded moment, you were confronted with two visions.
The first is what you have always seen yourself to be—what you feel a whole lifetime of evidence reveals to be sad and inescapable failure. Like that awful moment in a dressing room where the light beats down, fiercely fluorescent, casting a deathly yellow pallor over your skin, and the clothes don’t fit, and everything you felt that you wanted to hide is staring you coldly in the face.
But coming back to that moment, hair unbrushed, fuzzy teeth, puffy eyes, there is another vision. You see a vulnerable creature who might not have had a chance in the world, were it not that someone believed in you. For you are also met by grace in that moment—a chance to see that frail, living, "something more" nestled in there.
We can only see shadows of it, like peering through a keyhole. It’s blurry and ambiguous. Moving lights and shadows weave into assumptions in our minds--we’re afraid to open the door and see; or be seen, peering in. Who knows what kind of humiliation awaits us behind that locked door?
And when we discover the key in our pocket, and if we have the courage to enter in, behind that door we might discover a living spirit, like a robin trapped under a twisted bedsheet. And seized by terror and wonder, with trembling hands, you carry the hard-breathing, fast-beating bundle to the window; and after a moment’s hesitation, you pull back the cloth.
Breathlessly you behold the bird bursting forth, scrambling for the sun and the clouds and the cool air. You held it for just a moment, and hardly caught a glimpse of that glory, but it lingers like the warmth of a hand that has pressed yours.
And this morning, like every other morning, you will have encountered doubt and you will have encountered faith.
You will pick up the measuring tape, or you will fasten the belt of truth. You will hide your face under a hood of guilt, or you will put on the helmet of the assurance of your salvation. You can tiptoe like you want no one to see you, or you can step boldly into the warm sun with the shoes of the ready gospel.
Today I wish you confidence, boldness, warmth, and truth.
-Love Always
Lauren, that was the best thing you could have written! Thank you so much! I love you!!
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