Sunday – November 21, 2011

I started the day at church where I heard again, the story of the ten lepers. Although, this time, I got a little different understanding than I ever had before. The speaker focused on the phrase ”Go and present yourself”.  In the story the lepers are told by Christ that they should go and present themselves to the priest. They were told to GO and they would be healed on the way.  It was the journey that was important and Christ knew it. Of course he could have healed them right there on the spot but instead he gave them the opportunity of a lifetime. For them truly, the journey of a lifetime began with one single step and the decision to take that leap of faith.

I can find very little about their journey in the scriptures accept that they did go. Was it difficult? How did they manage to walk among the healthy to reach their destination, a place they were not permitted?  How many problems did they encounter on their way? How many times did they think about turning around and feel hopeless.  To present yourself meant they were healthy and would then be free to live among family and friends again. How hard was it for them to take that leap of faith and just start moving forward?  

As I considered this story and how it relates to my life right now, I realized that losing weight takes a leap of faith for me as well.  Like the lepers it is the climb or the journey that will be important in my transformation. As I am moving toward and closer to my quest…I will be healed…one step at a time, closer and closer to my goal weight.

Just like the lepers, I don’t have a great and happy day every day. There are some days when I feel like a total failure. Sometimes it feels hopeless and I just want to hide or run away. I have days when life just makes it too hard for me. I think about giving up at least once a week.  BUT when I first started this I thought about giving up every day. I am becoming more determined with every passing day. I really am seeing with different eyes now, seeing that it is possible.

I have said before that I started out thinking this process was more of a physical problem I needed to deal with. But now that I am well on my way I realize I was wrong. It is a spiritual thing. My body belongs to my spirit. The light that I see on my face now as I compare before and after photos is not just a physical healing but a spiritual enlightenment. My spirit was so offended by the neglect or abuse of over eating, eating the wrong things and lack of activity that it was lost, buried somewhere deep inside.  I am so humbled and grateful to be able to experience this enlightment.  I know this is because I chose to take a leap of faith, put one foot in front of the other and start moving forward toward my goal. I have no doubt that I will be a more complete, happier, healthier woman after the climb. This is a journey of a lifetime. It is all about the Climb.

This song came to my mind as I drove home from church so wanted to share some of the words with you.

The Climb lyrics
Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa