Atta Boy Christians

Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:19

I think that with being overweight so much of my childhood, I struggled with my self-esteem. I tried to stack the deck to get the attention of others in ways to counteract that. I used to do favors for people hoping to get Atta Boys which I call Good Debbie's. I liked the praise I got when I did nice things for others and tried to get more and more.

I would anticipate things that people might need and attempt to accomplish them whether they really needed assistance or not. I am realizing that this is a common theme in my adult life, as well. Maybe, I'm still an Atta Boy Christian, even though I think I've grown beyond that.

I don't want to be dependent on the compliments of others to give me my self-worth. I get that from my relationship with Christ. He fills my inner void in ways that no amounts of food or compliments could ever do. I don't have to give up doing nice things for people, but it is much better to do it subtly so that no one is aware. God wants me to have a humble spirit, not focused on the Atta Boys or worldly gain for the things I do for Him. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:19

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Chip On My Shoulders Christian

A  man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

There was a time when I was very overweight, where I didn't join in many activities. I shied away from conversations with others, because it seemed that people tended to disregard what I said. It hurt, so it was easier to avoid encounters that might make me feel terrible about myself and my weight. My self-esteem was already dragging-I didn't need others to make it feel worse!

During this time, I read the passage above. God really worked on my heart. This passage, through God's guidance, made me wonder if the negative reactions I got from people were totally related to my excess weight. It made me realize that there was a possibility that I might have something to do with not being included in discussions further than my weight.

I watched others and saw that there were some very heavy people who had lots of friends and weren't excluded because of their weight or lack of trendy clothes. Maybe I hadn't shown myself friendly to these people all along. Maybe my facial expression was not of welcoming, but instead showed a reluctance to interact. Maybe.....and maybe not. The thing is, holding a grudge against thin people, those who are in the popular groups, or who wear trendy clothes, affected my self-esteem, because the chip on my shoulders had been too big to allow me to be open to others.

With lots of prayer, God has allowed me to work on being more welcoming to others. I look less at my feet or off in the distance and try to smile at others.The friendships I value most are still the ones where the people don't care what I weigh, don't care if I wear trendy clothes or care whether I belong to the popular groups. The thing is, Christ never cared about any of this. He just cared that I allowed these issues to hurt my self-esteem, which affect my relationship with Him, my family, others, and myself. I don't want to be a Chip On My Shoulders Christian, pushing away others the way I had. I want others to feel the warmth and acceptance that only Christ can give us, because He is always with us through Thick and Thin. A  man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

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One Step at a Time Christians

Every Word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Proverbs 30:5

I wonder if people read these blog posts and expect that they will start losing their weight immediately after praying. Although that could happen, I think it's a lot like starting our faith walk with Christ. We need to be One Step at a Time Christians. We start out and gradually come to know Him more and more as our Lord and Savior and our faith walk becomes stronger!

I know that I prayed for years for God to help me lose the weight, but it didn't happen then. He had lots of things He needed to show me first. God allowed me to see that I had been turning to food in times of stress, making it a false god in my life, because I wasn't turning to Christ. He had to show me that I let food interfere in my relationship with my family, friends, my self esteem and my relationship with Him. 

Then, one day, I gave up and turned to Christ and prayed saying that I give up and can't do it and if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. It was that same day that the Lord allowed me to stop craving large amounts of food, sweets, and excessive carbs. I am thankful that Christ didn't answer my prayers to lose my weight immediately, because my faith walk might not have grown to know what a miracle He had done in my life. Every Word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Proverbs 30:5

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

Monkey See, Monkey Do Christian

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Proverbs 21:13

It's easy to think that we know what Christ wants us to do on His behalf and head off in our own direction. I've tried that more times than I would like to admit. I have to remember that I need to be a Monkey See, Monkey Do Christian, following the positive examples shared in the Bible.

Reading the Bible on a daily basis has changed my life on so many levels. One way is that I know what has really been said in the Bible and what hasn't. You wouldn't believe how many people misquote the Bible, sometimes deliberately, to support whatever they are trying to convince a person of. Reading the Bible has given me a sense of calm, turning to the Lord in times of stress instead of to food the way I had in the past. Reading the Bible daily gives me this sense of peace that no matter what happens in my life, I know Christ will get me through it. 

Reading the negative outcomes in the Bible of those who went off on their own and didn't stay center on God's will for us, has helped me pay more attention to the positive examples of followers in the Bible. The more I read the Bible, the more I am reminded that I need to be a better example of my faith in all areas of my life. I don't want to be ignoring the needs of others like this Bible verse and be only focused on my own. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. Proverbs 21:13

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.

A Pinch Me Christian

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

I had been an compulsive overeatear for most of my life. I turned to food to solace my aching soul when I was stressed or worried about things out of my control. Although I turned to food, it never comforted me the way that Christ can. 

Christ has given me a calmness when situations arise, knowing that He, in His infinite mercy will be there to guide me throughout the situations that arise. This peace is even more significant than the weight loss that God allowed in my life. 

I feel like I'm a Pinch Me Christian, because it feels too good to be true! Fortunately for me, it is! Christ showed me how food had become a false god in my life, because I turned to it and not Him. Now, the Lord fills my life with peace that only He can give even when faced with turmoil. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
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