When I was about to start the Radical Experiment and was reviewing my monthly expenses the only two expenses that I could come up with that weren't obligations were Directv and my gym membership. I love working out at the gym more than I love cable tv so I canceled my cable for 6 months (it comes back on in August). I will cancel it again in January for 6 months, though. Over the course of the year, though, I'm using the gym less and less and finally decided it was time to cancel my membership. It wasn't easy to do. I love having the "option" of going to the gym but I just had to tell myself it was a luxury not a necessity and I'm throwing money away if I'm not going at least 3-4 times a week.
As with most people I tend to think that I can control my weight if I just do this workout plan or go on this diet, or take this pill, etc, etc. Once I canceled my gym membership, though, it finally hit me, if I want to lose weight none of that will work without God. If I really want to see God work then all I have to do is ask Him to help me. God's results are always better than anything any of us humans can come up with, right? So that's my new Weight Loss Plan.
Here are two examples of ways I have turned to God to help me with this.....
First, Monday was my first day back to work after being off for a week and eating candy, snacks, ice cream, etc. I knew I would be hungry (or think I was hungry) at work. I always have a banana mid-morning but I don't always plan for an afternoon snack and sure enough around 2:30 I had the urge to go to the kitchen at work to get a snack. I wasn't really hungry, just bored with sitting at my desk, I think. I wrestled with the urge and God reminded me that if I can fast for an entire day then I did not need a snack to get me through the afternoon. I found relief in that and the urge for a snack went away. That might not seem like much but if trusting in God in those little things is important to building a closer relationship with Him.
Second, I have been trying to walk Roscoe in the mornings and evenings for exercise for us both but getting back into the routine after being off last week has been slow. The alarm went off Monday and Tuesday and I failed to get up to walk him. I love our morning walks because it's not nearly as hot as it is in the evenings and it is so calm and quiet out, but getting up is hard!!! Then yesterday, Roscoe chewed an opening on a small quilt that was on my couch that my mom got me when we were in the Amish country a few years ago. He didn't destroy it, just got some of the stuffing out. I was mad, though. I had walked him Tuesday night, but apparently he needed a morning walk that day, too. So last night I asked God to please wake me up and give me the strength to get up so I could walk him before going to work. Since I didn't have any luck getting up on my own Monday and Tuesday I figured I might as well ask God. And guess what? God woke me up and I walked him 30 minutes before work today!!!!! God is good!
Again, that might not seem like much, but as my dear friend reminded me, God wants us to go to Him for everything, even the little things. If and when I do drop this "tax season" weight without a gym membership I know that God deserves all the praise and glory! Learning to trust God in this area of my life is more than worth the "sacrifice" of a gym membership!
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