Pray Yourself Skinny - OK Not Really
Bringing Jesus into the plan!
Can you just pray yourself skinny? Ha, I wish! But…prayer should definitely be in the mix and Jesus at the heart of your weight loss project.
In fact, I’m going to propose that weight loss is a spiritual journey and that God needs to be right in the center of the action!
That sounds a little wacky but hang with me for a minute.
We’re designed to NEED God, in everything. We become our best selves when we go through struggles and trials and learn and evolve throughout the process. Our best growth comes when we are problem-solving with God, on the path He wants us on. Our weight loss journey is no different!
If you are a woman of faith, God should absolutely be at the heart of your fitness journey.
It will make your journey more successful and you will grow closer to him in the process. How fun to work on the project of YOU with HIM! And who better to do it with?!
He knows everything about you, more than you know about yourself. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. Any great coach will help you build your weaknesses. It's tough work, but that's what you need. Well, God knows what they are, He knows how you can improve them, and He's usually the answer!
He can give you guidance, encouragement, and tough love when you need it. He loves you more than any human can, and He has no hidden agenda. Who else can you be this vulnerable with while working through your junk?
Not to mention, the closer you get to God, the less you depend on the things of this world for joy and comfort. Hint: over-reliance on our comforts of this world are a big part of our weight problems; everything from junk food to things that let us check out of reality like TV or social media.
Remember, you are His daughter – of course, He wants you to be healthy and strong in all ways!
Your spiritual well-being, your mental health, and your physical health are all one big ball of string – you cannot separate any of it. When one area unravels, they all unravel. When one area is strengthened, they are all strengthened. You cannot separate your physical health from the rest.
Instead of only praying for our health when we’ve reached a state of disease, what if we brought God in the mix right now? Things will go a lot better if we get on board doing this His way, instead of trying to force our own way. We know this to be true in many other aspects of our lives, but we shut Him out of our weight loss.
Why do we shut God out of this area of our life?
Guilt:
For some, it’s that we feel guilty for letting things get so out of hand and we feel like we should fix it on our own. But that’s a lie.
The truth is that we mess things up all the time. In fact, many of our issues are our own doing, and yet going to God is the best thing we can do in any situation. Continuing our own path while trying to clean up our messes on our own usually leads to a worse situation.
Diminishing the importance:
For others, it's that we see the pursuit of weight loss as an unworthy goal to take to the Lord like it is just vanity and unimportant. This is also untrue.
We should do our best to be good stewards of all things God gives us, and that includes our bodies. Excess weight is a sign of something going on physically and within our mindset. Getting to the bottom of it will make us better all around. It’s not vain!
Ignoring the issue:
For others, the thought never really occurs to take our weight loss to God. I mean, it’s not really something discussed in most churches. It’s certainly not included in most weight loss plans. Until you start lining up the characteristics needed for weight loss and the characteristics we're supposed to develop as Christians and see that they perfectly align, you may not even consider it.
EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE IS A SPIRITUAL MATTER IF YOU BELONG TO GOD.
Your weight loss journey will not only go a lot smoother with Him, but it will also be more sustainable. Yes, because He is helping, but also because the things that change in us when we walk with God are the exact characteristics that we need to lose weight and keep it off.
Let me paint a picture of why we should bring God into this as soon as possible, and then we’ll get into the how.
Why
Weight loss is mostly mindset! Sure, some strategies are more effective than others. But most people can’t stick to any plan long enough to see results because of beliefs, self-esteem, discipline, patience, consistency, and the inability to delay gratification.
There are certainly secular means to overcome these issues, as many non-believers have. But you, my friend, have the Holy Spirit with you all the time! These are all things God has in mind to develop in us all throughout our lives.
God will give us many challenges that grow our faith and our character. Instead of running from these, as difficult as they may be, we should face them head-on and grow from them. This is what life is all about right? Sanctification, the process of becoming more and more like Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit. (That definition might not be exact, but that’s how my brain thinks of it).
Your struggles with weight loss, and whatever the surrounding mindset issues are (because we ALL have them), can absolutely be a vehicle for spiritual growth. It is a huge undertaking to change your mindset and keep weight off.
You will learn about yourself – your strengths and weaknesses – and learn to depend on God more and more to meet your needs instead of whatever else you may be leaning on. He will help you to develop these new mindset skills that bring about weight loss but also grown you into a more mature believer.
There will be struggles on this journey. Who better to lean on for comfort and strength than God?
A Little Flash Back
For me personally, when I was ignoring my health, I had this wonderful excuse that I was busy. Which I was, I was a full-time working mother. But…
I now realize that I was being lazy with my health and I lacked self-control. I didn’t want to admit this to myself, let alone to God, because then I would need to do something about it. With so many “important things” to occupy my calendar, it was easy to ignore it all guilt-free.
But the truth is, I still had downtime I could have been planning healthy meals or going on a walk. It was just easier to turn on the TV and distracting myself instead of doing some self-reflection or taking action. Between you and me, I just didn’t want to tell myself “no” to the things I would rather be doing.
I had grown up eating junk food and living a sedentary life. Changing that was going to take discipline that I didn’t have - and had no interest in working at. It sounded boring and torturous all at the same time. So, ignore it I did, until it reached the point that I could not. Through a lot of prayer and self-reflection, I realized I was my own problem. Next came walking with God to correct it, because He can bring about so much more change in me than I ever could on my own. This is still a work in progress for me!!
HOW
Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you!
The old saying is still the best advice. It’s not only praying, and it’s not only working. It’s marrying the 2 together!
I tackle my health from the same Christian perspective that I practice my walk with God. That may look different for me than it does for you, but I’ll lay out my process here to get your wheels turning. You do what works for you.
Go to God in prayer
I start by going to Him in prayer and admitting my faults, asking for forgiveness for whatever non-sense I’ve been up to, and then asking for healing and whatever characteristics I know I am lacking that I need. Discipline, self-control, patience, wisdom….whatever it may be.
Pray for clarity – sometimes I don’t even know what the exact problem is and need the situation clarified before I can get the business of bringing about any change.
Ask for guidance
Then be quiet. If I’m always talking, which I usually am, how will hear Him? When I’m planning out important things, I lay quietly and think about how wonderful He is (because I can’t actually sit with a quiet mind, if you can, awesome!) and let Him nudge me in the right direction.
Get real with myself
What is really going on with my weight?
What are the deeper issues?
Has food become an idol?
Am I being lazy?
Am I focused too much on another aspect of my life and letting it run my body into the ground consequently (time for a calendar adjustment)?
Do I need to learn more discipline?
Am I on the right track but being impatient with the progress?
This list could go on forever 😉
In what ways can I work on the issues identified above?
Make a plan
Pray on the plan – is it right? What should I change?
Get to work
Work the plan, when you fail, start again!
Use the time you are caring for your body as a time to spend with the Lord
Pray that your food will nourish your body. (Harder to do when you’re eating a Big Mac). Sit and enjoy your meal and imagine what it is doing for your body. This helps to change the way we view food – from something of a comfort to something of substance. Also, reflect on how good God is to provide us with this awesome life-sustaining food and be grateful when you eat. This is an “all the time” food practice not a “dinner ritual prayer” thing.
Use your workout as a time to talk to God or listen to praise and worship music. Some of my best times worshipping the Lord are on a long painful run. Again, be grateful for what your body can do and showing appreciation by using it! Exercise isn't torture for eating a cupcake, it's a privilege.
Note – You cannot pray and expect God to do all the heavy lifting. God can do BIG BIG things! But he's not going to do it all for us. There's no growth in that for us. We go through trials and hardships to grow, and this is no different. It would be robbing us of so much to hand it over easily. God's not going to smack the twinkie out of our hands, but He can grow discipline and perseverance into our character.
SUM IT UP
This may be the weirdest weight-loss blog you've ever read, and that's ok. I hope your wheels are turning about how you can see your weight loss journey as a blessing instead of a curse. To grow your faith, your discipline, your self-control, your confidence in your own abilities, and your trust in God to see you through difficult tasks.
You are His, you do not NEED anything aside from Him! And He’s with you in this, just like He is with everything else.
Get started today:
Spend some time in prayer today asking for guidance, a good plan, the right mentorship, strength, and patience.
Read some great scripture on strength, God's love, endurance, or anything else you feel would be good to meditate on.
You can absolutely apply the strong faith you have in the Lord to develop a strong mind and body!
Scripture I love
Psalm 31:17 - She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
Psalm 121: 1 - I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
1 Timothy 4: 7 - Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, who you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Psalm 139:14 - I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
