- The Grace and Strength Lifestyle
- Success Stories
Carrie's Story
I turned 55 this past spring - a time for reflection and a serious examination of who I had become. As a believer for 32 years, my walk with Jesus had become routine and stagnant and my physical health was suffering - I was overweight, lethargic, and feeling terrible about who I had become. I was facing some pretty serious questions. Would I submit to my current state...distant from God, sluggish, tired and withdrawn, or would I take action?
Many times in my life I have tried dieting, but the diets never got to the root of what the real issue was. A friend told me about Grace and Strength Lifestyle and my first reaction was..."NO WAY!". No way can I afford it, no way can I eat that short list of food, no way do I feel ready to do this! But God had other plans! I shared the Grace and Strength information with my husband and he encouraged me to look into it - he had seen me sink deeper within myself over the years and he wanted me to experience freedom and fullness in Christ and become the woman he once knew.
So....I decided to send a request for more information. My heart was trembling and I was terrified! But, I clicked "enter" and off went my request. I received a call from Cyndi Bensen a few days later. Her sweet, gentle spirit calmed my fears and took away my concerns. The thing that really moved me was when she identified the shame in my life! There it was! That was the root of how I had been living and I wanted it gone! I knew God was at the center of all of this and decided that this was His message to me and now was the time. I sent my pictures ( and cried....a LOT!!). How did I let myself get here? Who was this woman who was looking back at me in the mirror?
When Coach Monica called me a few days later, it was again confirmed that God was in this and I was right where he wanted me. Monica's gentle, straight forward approach was just what I needed. She gently and lovingly guided me through the first few weeks of getting started, pointing to Jesus every step of the way. She never once made me feel like a failure and continued to help me defeat the lies I had been telling myself. Her weekly bible studies were filled with truth from God's word and spoke directly to my heart. Her love of Jesus and God's word is so evident in her teaching and gave me more desire to dig deeper. I began to see the girl I once knew (me!) who hungered for God and pushed me to rebuild my relationship with HIM! This had so little to do with food....and so much to do with connecting to God!
To say that this journey has been easy would not be completely accurate. I often describe it as painful and messy! But then again, self examination is never easy! I can honestly say that I have never done anything so worthwhile in my life! I have experienced life in a way I never knew I could and God's word has a freshness and realness in my life! I no longer live in shame and guilt, but with freedom, joy and hope! What an amazing gift! I know that this is only the beginning of the next phase in my life, but I am so excited about where God has brought me! I am so grateful to the Grace and Strength girls and their desire to help women break free!
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Phil. 3:12-14
Carrie
* Individual results may vary.
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