So, how many chances do you think we get to be thankful for something? Or as Charlie Brown would see it, exactly how times are we gonna take a kick at the ball before we finally tell Lucy to get off the field and go pull the ball away from some other idiot? I don’t want to be the idiot that just keeps blindly kicking somehow expecting a magical different result. It’s time that I take the real and genuine steps needed to go in another direction.
To date, I have had numerous chances to fix this obesity problem on my own. Let’s narrow it down to three main times. Pre-surgery I could have taken the necessary steps to change behavior and in turn have a different result. Clearly I was failing miserably at that. So along comes opportunity two. Dr. Wallace and his staff had enough trust and faith in me to perform a life-altering surgery on me. They upheld their end of the bargain without question. And for the first three months, so did I. And then I began to slide back down the slippery slope of failure. I continued to lose weight, and yet began to fall back into some familiar and unhealthy habits. I began to circumvent the procedure with my own homemade remedies. And this worked for awhile. That is until I realized how much damage I was doing to myself.
Not to be too preachy, but during a sermon at church that was completely unrelated to the struggles I was silently going through on my own, The Lord spoke directly to my heart. And His words were clear and to the point. The Lord told me that He loved me too much to allow my sin and destructive behavior to stay in the dark. He very directly said that if I didn’t bright this into the light, that He would do it for me. He also made it clear that if He had to do it, it may not be pretty and I may not like the results. This was the wake-up call I needed.
At that point, I made a 180 degree turn from the direction I was going in. Four weeks later, I couldn’t be happier with the turn around. This is my third kick at the football. Let’s hope that Lucy doesn’t pull it away this time. So as Thanksgiving approaches, I am grateful for the obvious; a wonderful and understanding wife who even when confronted with not-so-positive news met me with nothing but love and understanding. Family and friends that continue to support me whether walking on the right path or struggling through possible failure. And a God that continues to provide even though I clearly fall short of what He is calling me to be. Thankfully He is a God that loves me for my stumbles as well as my success. I cannot promise that I’ve got it all figured out, but I sure am trying and am taking steps in the right direction. Stick with me and hopefully as we go through this season I will be able to share more positive change. I pray that all of you have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. Take the time to not only think about what you are thankful for, but what you want to be thankful for in the following year.
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Way to go Scott! I'm glad to see that things seem to be turning around for you. Hopefully this third time will be a charm. Seeing that you are open about your faith, I will gladly say that I'm praying for you! |