My Health Journey with God

I make no show of hiding my faith in God or my weight. I am over thirty and weigh over ten times that number. I am living with several chronic illness diagnoses, including Hashimoto's Disease, Fibromyalgia, Depression, Anxiety, and possible PCOS (as of November 2022.) Due to several circumstances outside my control, maintaining weight has been difficult, let alone losing it. Because of the increased weight and Fibromyalgia, I am in near-constant pain. Some days I can barely walk, let alone adhere to a daily exercise routine. Yet, I am not here to garner sympathy, far from it. Instead, I want to use this article to do the one thing I was created to do, praise my God.

Despite everything I have been through (Read my Diagnosis story here,) God has been good to me; I am allowed to live. However, within me is the in-born depravity of humanity; what I deserve is death, but what I received instead is a savior. I have had to reconcile my negative opinion of my self-worth, spending most of my life feeling like a waste of life, with the idea of a God who loves me enough to have sent his son to save me and die to be a perfect sacrifice for my sins.

"8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:1-8, ESV

Obedience in managing my health has always been difficult yet necessary. I am not perfect, and my imperfections highlight my need for a savior. For example, I do not always eat as the doctor orders or miss medications. I make mistakes, and it's not ok, but his forgiveness is reassuring. It helps me forgive the previous day's mistakes and keep moving forward. Before God and medication, I would have fallen into a downward spiral at even the slightest mistake, falling into frustration and burnout. But God blesses me with a new perspective.

My calorie count was moved this week from 1500/day to 1200/day. The subtraction of a few more calories may not seem like a huge deal for some people, but food has been a massive part of my American culture. Ever since I was a kid, I remember family gatherings around food for holidays, when friends and family visit going out for breakfast and dinners. Navigating these activities has become increasingly complex over the years. But adherence and obedience are how I can live longer and serve God.

I have prayed for obedience for a long time, for a closer relationship with God, and I believe he has answered me with some of these changes. He opened my eyes; I cannot make these changes alone. I also felt led to eliminate the distractions in my life that do not serve God. Giving up Social Media and Streaming services has been difficult. However, I am already feeling the benefits, and it is only day four (More to come on that later.)

God knows and sustains all things. So whether or not this new directive helps me lose weight or become slightly healthier, I trust God and his plans for me.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

Romans 8:9-11

My physical body does matter; I am asked to be a good steward of the body given to me, but ultimately its existence is finite. It was created from dust, and to dust, it will return. But, the Spirit is eternal. Good stewardship of my body looks like relying on God, reading my Bible, praying, following my medical directives, keeping track of calories, and continuing my medications. To me, that looks like obedience.

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God Bless!