Thursday, September 27, 2007

6:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

It's the best time of my day, it's the heart of my morning time. I get up at 5:00 a.m., let the dogs out, feed them, fix my breakfast, drink my cup of "Foglifter" by Millstone (which is better than Starbucks in my opinion), catch the national news on Fox, and I read my email and tune into websites I am interested in. By 6:00 a.m. I am officially awake.

From 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. is the time I spend contemplating the greatness of Almighty God. Currently, in my morning meditations I am reading through the Psalms. I just read a chapter or two aloud and let the words penetrate my mind as I learn of the lows the writer experienced, then the joy proclaimed due to God's willingness to answer prayer. The writer fights enemies of a different type while I fight my disease of obesity. I need to lose another 25 pounds or so, but previous to this writing I have dropped 41. My current enemy is fat.

There's plenty of fuel for a fat fighting woman throughout the Psalms. I find it energizing to read them aloud and while I read I consider my war against obesity. The more I read there, the more I realized I find strength and focus to continue my change journey:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
(Psalm 84:5)

As a woman dedicated to losing weight I pray the words of these chapters and I read this aloud and I hear:

Blessed are those whose strength in over coming obesity is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage...which is sometimes very
difficult, but I know that my hope and strength is in you and I know
I am blessed by you in this task.

To me, the words of the Psalms are powerful, prayerful words which assure my victory in this war against obesity. I read throughout the book on how the writer was low and through his prayers he received real assurance of answered prayer.

Teach me your way, O Lord
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart
that I may fear your name.
(Psalm 86:11)

And, as I read this my heart interprets

Teach me your way, O Lord and I will walk in your truth; Teach me the way you want me to do this, O Lord, and if you teach me your way I will walk in your truth and not fall into false teachings or unhealthy practices. I will focus on you first and through knowledge of you I will become educated about all things affecting me and I will receive your wisdom on how I need to proceed in all things, including weight loss.

give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. Let me remember that my first priority is to give my heart completely over to you so that I may know your greatness, and through knowing your greatness first hand, I will know that all other things will fall into place naturally.

And, at 6:30 a.m., I have been reassured once again that God is a strength and power which I have available to me to win my war against obesity. I have been reassured it is okay to be discouraged and that the antidote to discouragement is to turn to God and read aloud the powerful words of the Psalms which speak of human discouragement, super-natural victory over the enemy, cool waters, solace for an impatient soul, God-given strength and having a focus on what's important.

Well, it's 6:34 a.m., and a wonderful day that I might enter into with Almighty God at my side.

Read his word aloud in your private time. His words spoken through your voice has a powerful effect on your mental outlook. It makes it real.

For the Lord is a sun and a shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O Lord Almighty,
blessed is the man
who trusts in you.
(Psalm 84:11-12)

And, praise God! Today I am favored and honored and God holds nothing good back from me. I am blessed.

Have a blessed day.

Love, Willa

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