Slideshow image

These past couple of years have been really rough, to say the least. Nevertheless, as we come into this new year people have begun their resolutions, with hopes of change and better times to come. Promises of getting healthy, exercising more, or spending more quality time with loved ones. Statistically, only between 7% to 19% of people keep some or all of those promises, with various reasons such as lack of time, low resources, or feeling discouraged. I thought about my own “high hopes of change” and the struggle to follow through. One thing in particular that I have struggled to change is my bad eating habit, which has resulted in being overweight. What I discovered is that much of who I am and what I do is a result of other factors in my life. Although God has healed and delivered many parts of me, there are some things that I need to deal with personally. Real change not only comes with a desire to be different but also with knowing that change is a process. Part of that process is understanding the reasons why you do what you do, or act the way you act. I didn’t become overweight instantly or by accident. It was a process of years of emotional and unhealthy overeating. Facing myself is hard to do. Owning up to things I need to change can be humbling, and beginning and following through with the process can be grueling. Long-lasting change comes with a price, but the rewards are well worth it.

As I began to sift through layers upon layers of hurt, disappointment, anger, and resentment, I began to understand that just because I have been healed of certain things such as depression, it doesn’t mean that the “habits” that came along with that depression-such as turning to food for comfort, just go away. For me, leaning on God through prayer and looking to His Word for strength, gave me the motivation I needed to begin breaking those unhealthy habits. * God showed me in His Word that I needed to get rid of my old ways and change my mindset, let go of anger and bitterness, and forgive. * That’s exactly what I need to do to get to the core of the real problem and be able to move forward. His Word is alive and true, and it gives me inspiration, direction, and instruction. * In it I have learned God’s plan of salvation and how to apply it to my life. * I’ve learned that I can give God all my worries, and fears, and in turn, I can find everything I need in Him. * And best of all I have learned that even when I was at my worst He still loved me, so much that He was willing to lay down His life for me. * 

Everyone needs that one person they can lean on and trust through all their shortcomings and victories. Although I have friends and family that I talk to and trust, there’s no one else who knows the deepest parts of me as God does. Getting out of my comfort zone is difficult, but through this process, I have the Bible to look back to as a reference point for guidance. It makes all the difference when it comes to real change. If you are looking for a change, for hope, encouragement, and truth, look to God and His Word.

Philippians 4:13

Ephesians 4:21-22 & 31-32

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Acts 2:38

1 Peter 5:7

Philippians 4:19

Romans 5:8

John 8:32