No Pain.....No Gain!!

Having been a “Weight Watcher” for 24 years, I checked in this week for my monthly weigh-in. Never have I seen such a long line at Weight Watchers. Some were holding their new applications to get started, and others were like me, there for our accountability to a pact we made with ourselves – striving for that balance we need for better health and weight control. There, I admitted it. I needed a “mark” – a “standard” – a constant “goal” and, in my case, an ideal weight that suited my height and body build that I could adhere to.

That long line at Weight Watchers clearly indicated “this is the beginning of the new year, desire for change, and many new year’s resolutions”. We’re all saying “I’m ready for change, new life, rejuvenation, and new growth!” But that doesn’t come with just signing an application, getting a quick fix at the health spa or drinking a magic potion to restore our youth. It comes with hard work, a never-giving-up attitude, and continually looking at what God declares to us. For me, it was quite the process, pain and hard work to get to my "goal weight", and now, I know, it will be a process to go from the past to birthing new visions and dreams.

Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

These days, just a few weeks following the passing of my Sweetheart, it would be very easy to dwell on my past – to consistently be thinking about “the way we were”. In fact, when all my grandchildren went home after the Christmas holidays, and my home was no longer bustling about with giggles, clatter of toys, and the pitter patter of little feet, the stillness was almost deafening. I sat in my recliner (as was the case each year with my Honey, when we would sit in sheer exhaustion and breathe a sigh of relief when the house was quiet again), and tears flooded my eyes. I “remembered” those precious quiet hours that my Honey and I shared when it was just “us” again.

But then, Isaiah 43:18-19 began to resonate within my heart: "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?"

I know I don’t have to forget the precious memories we made and shared, but I also know, life is to be lived and I must finish “my race” on purpose. I must move forward. I want to leave my legacy of faith and determination. More than ever, I want to do more for God and share His love everywhere I go.

The word change means "to alter." It means to turn away from what was; to cease to be what you've been, and decide to become who you are meant to be. It’s a process of going from sadness to gladness, from tears to laughter, sickness to health, poverty to wealth, and hopelessness to hope (that exciting expectation that something good is about to happen). To change is to have the ability to look at “disappointment, pain, and devastation” and recognize, "This is not my destiny." It is that necessary step in order to birth new dreams, new hopes and new visions. Oh, and ouch!! The birthing process – to get to new life, means going through the process of pain and difficulty.

I know, this year, I will never walk forward in destiny until I step out of history. God has something new and wonderful for all of us, a plan to prosper us and not harm us. Now, on my faith journey, I’m going to travel on the road called “change”. You’ll recognize me on the road….I’ll be the one with lights blinking, horn honking and banners waving and shouting “Move out of my way…I’ve got a race to run and I’m going to finish strong and win my prize!” Why don’t you sign up and join me? Together, we’ll blaze a trail for others to follow!