WHAT THE SCALE DOESN'T TELL

So Monday morning I weighed in at work with my weight loss buddy.  We started a month ago a challenge to lose weight and were competing against another county office.  During this past month the scale has gone up and down. And I have to confess that I compared my scale at home to the one we were using at work and it was slightly lower (I liked mine better).  Overall I figured that I lost 2 pounds. But Monday, our last day to weight in, it said I gained 1 pound.  So then that meant I gained 3 pounds?!  Oh for goodness sake Cherri!!  Get a Grip!  So I went back and looked at what Julia's measurements said about me (we measured last week).  I LOST 2.5 inches in ONE MONTH!!  Crazy!  So even though the scale said one thing, my body measurements were down.  That is something the scale just doesn't tell you people- it doesn't give you the whole picture.

The other thing that happened is my running this week. I was able to complete 1.55 miles in 20 minutes flat!!  Big deal for me!! I still can't run all the way, but I have a good running stretch, keep my pace up while I walk and then jog again. Cornelius I were talking how last year I couldn't walk at a pace faster than 3.5-3.8. I remember that it was like killer. This walk/jog that I did on August 27th I was able to walk at a pace of 4.3 according to my fitness app and jog/run at a 5.1 pace comfortably.  BIG DEAL!! Happy Dance!  For me it is progress and I'm always looking for areas of visiable progress because I am so insecure and that insecurity can bog me down.

Sunday afternoon I sang at my friends Baptism at Crystal Lake. It was a private gathering of friends and family and such a beautiful day out.  She asked me to sing "Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave. When I heard the story behind his song, it really brought tears to my eyes and I connected deeply with it. Mike Weave talks about the story behind his song. His struggle with personal acceptance, insecurity, feeling unworthy and haunted by what or how he saw himself. He was in his garage when he had a literal "visit" with God's presence and His words. God told him- let me show you how I SEE YOU. God redefined what humility was for him. He thought that humility was about this self depricating thing. BUT God showed him what REAL humilty was- simply agreeing with whatever HE, God says. He says that I am a child of God, I have been ransomed by His blood and I am redeemed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzGAYNKDyIU

I share this because I can so relate to Mike Weave's story and maybe you too can relate.  I have struggled with my image and loving myself since I was a little girl, 8 years old. I can remember that day so clearly when I was told I was fat.....and treated as "less than".  For some reason, that stuck with me. I remember that terrible painful event lead to my first life lesson- to look past the exterior and into the heart of an individual. Grandma asked me "why do you think that girl said that to you Cherri?" All I remember thinking or telling grandma was "Because she's mean grandma! She's a very mean girl."  But that is when grandma told me to look past her words and exterior and see her heart. She told me "Often people who speak hurtful words, are hurting themselves."  I thank God for a grandma who taught me that life lesson- God judges not on man's outward appearance, but on their heart.  And God sees every man's heart. He sees the pain the chains, the bondage. I have so often struggled with the bondage of insecurity and feeling "less than" because of how I looked. Because I was fat, I needed to compensate that with other things. So I worked hard at being socially and emotionally excellent. I worked hard at my studies. I worked hard and worried about being "accepted".  The bondage of wanting to be accepted by everyone is a terrible one- because you are putting others before God.  The bondage of worrying.....so then Monday I read this for my Bible reading:

Matthew 6:25-34 (The Message)

^25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
^27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
^30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
³⁴ “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.


Monday I was worrying about all kinds of things.
1. My weight and how I look
2. My time- not having enough time for my family, my kids and me
3. My house- It needs work and I want it to look nicer and be updated with new furniture (blah blah blah)
4. Money- money because there are extra things that come up like school shopping, fixing the water heater, putting new breaks on the van and the list adds up.
5. My job- wishing I was doing something else but feeling stuck with the State because it pays SO GOOD and how could I give up a job like this?!  
6. My life call- am I not listening to God because I'm more worried about MY IMAGE, MY HOUSE, MY MONEY than I am about following Him and doing whatever He asks or has for me. Am I missing out on huge blessings by giving it all up to follow Him whole heartedly?

And notice how I listed everything has MINE and MY....seriously Cherri?  This isn't about you! 

I guess I'm off the whole weightloss track right now. But if only you knew all the things that rattled in my brain day in and day out. :) 

After writing all this I just want you all to know that the scale, or your image or your money and what you do or don't have does not define you.  GOD defines who you are.  God says
1. You are loved
2. You are His
3. You were created with a purpose
4. You are able to do more than you can possible imagine!
5. You are created in Christ Jesus to do Good works
6. You are accepted just because You are a Child of the King, created in His image
7. You are beautiful, the apple of His eye
8. You are not alone
9. You are His light in this world
10. You are redeemed- rescued/forgiven because of what Jesus did for you! (we dont have to earn it!)

The list goes on and on!

And one more picture to end this blog today.