My Stall

As I have said in my personal profile, I have lost 30 lbs. since last June.  While this is an incredible feet, for some reason I am having difficulty, as I have now reached a plateau in recent months.  More than likely, it is because I have stopped tracking my calories and my intake of unhealthy foods.  Instead, I act on my cravings far more than sticking to my plan.  I know that I have got to get back on track, but without the accountability that I once had with my old Weight Watchers plan, it has become difficult.  Weight Watchers recently changed their method, and it is not as easy for me to follow.  I find that while I do well during the whole day, once I come home from work, I can't stay on track.  I also have become less strict in my scheduled workouts.  It is incredibly important that while you are trying to lose weight, you count your calories, make right food choices and exercise.  You will find little-to-no results unless you follow these practices that have proven to be successful, not only to myself, but to others who have lost weight in the past.  Not only has my plateau gotten the best of me, but I can't stop thinking of how far I still need to go to get to my goal.  Instead of taking the time to look back and acknowledge that I really have done something amazing, something that so many people struggle to accomplish in their lives, it is easier for me to focus on the roadblock and how huge a mountain I still have to climb to reach my ultimate weight-loss goal. 

I find it ironically relative to my journey with God.  Unless I make sure I have the right practices in place to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, I will have little-to-no success in maturing in my faith, bringing it to where I want it to be.  Unless I am reading the Bible, praying and spending time in His presence, as well as staying in close connection to other Christians to hold me accountable, I cannot know my Savior more intimately than I ever have known before.  God so desperately desires for us to cling to him, not only in good times, but also in difficult storms, when we find ourselves on a "spiritual plateau."  Often, if we assess the situation, we can find that we are not as diligent in our practices as we once were, which help us grow closer to God.   It seems like such a huge mountain ahead of us in order to get to the relationship we desire with God where we want it to be. 

The next step to resolving the problem at hand is to pick ourselves back up, confess our short-comings, and move forward again, reaching to achieve the goal at hand.  That is what is so perfect about our God.  Like a child that falls down when we are first learning to walk on our own, He helps us back to our feet, and walks along with us, guiding us to push past that plateau or mountain we see ahead of us.  One of my favorite passages to read is Psalm 103, which can relate in so many ways to each and every one of us.  In verses 8-12 it says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."  Do not carry that guilt upon you if you have stopped growing deeper with the Lord.  My friend, God is waiting on you to call to Him again, to seek His guidance and to work diligently in growing in deeper connection with Him than you ever have before.  I pray that you find that tonight.  Like losing weight, it's not always easy.  It takes practice and effort.  We need to be more intentional about growing in relationship with the Lord than ever, especially if we are in the midst of a struggle in life.  But I promise you, if you make that effort, the goal at the end will make is so worth the fight it took to get there!