Editorial
Deborah Wuehler,
Senior Editor
It’s been five years without another baby. My youngest baby is now 5 and I have no excuse for all this extra “baby weight.” I find myself
packing;on;the;same;extra;weight;that;I
would;if;I;were;pregnant;but;have;noth-ing to show for it. Strange feeling, indeed.
I have been a bit melancholy over the fact
that;my;body;is;probably;done;childbear-ing;as;I;am;now;a;half-century;old,;but
what makes it worse is that the doctor
also;said;I;am;“obese.”;Shhh,;I;haven’t;told
anyone;that;fact;yet!
I;guess;in;keeping;with;getting;old,;I
am getting fat. It could be the fact that as I
have aged, my metabolism is slower than
it used to be. Or it could be that I lack ex-
ercise;and;make;poor;choices.;Probably
all of the above. Either way, my body and
my bathroom scale are telling me that it
is high time to do something about that
extra weight.
Unfortunately, I am not a good dieter.
I;quit;at;the;first;sight;of;coffee;ice;cream
or;the;first;smell;of;freshly;baked;cookies.
My taste buds outweigh my determina-tion;by;a;ton.;(Where’s;the;cheesecake?)
Why am I so easily swayed from my
conviction to get healthy by things that
are;not;even;necessary;for;living?;I;am
weak;;therefore,;I;am;heavy-laden.;As;I
have;begun;this;weight;loss;experiment,
I;have;learned;so;much;about;myself—
body,;soul,;and;spirit.;May;I;share;the
good;and;the;ugly;with;you?
I;have;noticed;how;physical;weight;gain
or;loss;also;correlates;with;spiritual;weight
gain;or;loss.;Sounds;strange,;doesn’t;it?
But;the;Scriptures;talk;about;it,;so;let’s;go
there. Primarily, I am thinking about the
weight;that;so;easily;bogs;us;down:
. . . Let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down
at the right hand of the throne of
God. For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint
in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
(Hebrews 12: 1–4)
Packing on
the;Weight:
How to Overcome
What Weighs Us Down
My;spiritual;life;can;become;slothful;because;of;things;that;easily;weigh;me;down.
