Prior to lacing up my running shoes and heading out the door I always take a good bit of time to ponder the mighty change the Lord has done not just with my desires to strengthen my body but even more importantly the desire to seek Him in ALL things. I also seem to linger a good while on the mere fact that I never fully grasped the physical, emotional and spiritual weight that I carried all those years while being obese and even morbidly obese until the burden was gone.

My sinful flesh had spent decades medicating my emotions with food. The "Comfort" foods of life brought temporary happiness. Eventually over time, almost all my decisions concerning foods were flesh driven and rarely did I think about the nutritional impact of what I was placing in my mouth. I knew that my weight had a negative effect on my overall health and the amount of pain I felt in my joints, especially in my lower back, but I did not know how to tackle the impulsive food decisions that had become my daily habit.

Thank the Lord that with biblical coaching from my Grace and Strength Lifestyle Coach the importance to search the scriptures concerning my flesh became a daily habit. Over a short period of time I began to feel the release of the physical weight off my body frame. I began to feel the difference of -25 pounds, -50 pounds, -75 pounds and currently -100 pounds where I have stayed and maintained for some time.*

Perhaps you are wondering how much a sin can weigh. Eighty pounds? Five pounds? There are many people who never felt the weight of sin in their lives. Perhaps you are one. However, consider this point: If you placed a 200-pound chest of drawers on a dead man, would he feel it? Why not? When sin runs rampant in our lives, it kills us (Ephesians 2:1-3) not physically, but spiritually. And a man who is dead spiritually never feels the weight of sin in his life. A person given over to sin is not sensitive to its pressure. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Even though you may not feel the burden of sin in your life, it doesn't mean it is not there. We can get used to many things. Like a mother whose hands become calloused to lifting hot pans, we can become calloused to the presence of sin. It would be like running a marathon with ankle weights. Not too many people would get far before the extra weight simply tires them out. Yet, there are people who are trying to run the race of life while carrying all sorts of burdens. (Adapted from Jeff Hamilton)

I am eternally thankful to my Heavenly Father for providing a way and the light and the compass that I need moment by moment found in the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit.

My hope for you is found in Hebrews 12:1

Let us run with Endurance the Race God has set before us.

With Love and Grace

~Coach Monica

---

* Individual results may vary.