This post marks my 40th blog post in my quest to write 40; it is my Victory Lap to celebrate not only that, but also reaching two other goals by my 40th birthday. That includes reaching my wedding weight and raising $2,000 to build a house in Peru! Today I give God the glory for all He has done and even all He has yet to do in the coming year for, in and through me!
I am posting this one day ahead of my birthday without knowing exactly what the scale will say, as I have stayed off the scale but once a week the last few weeks because I was tired of the scale controlling my every thought and move. My ultimate goal was to be able to fit into my wedding dress if I wanted to. (At this point, I’m not planning to take it out of preservation just to try it on; one day when we renew our vows, however, I will! And I want to be ready!) The next best option was to fit into the outfit I wore to my rehearsal dinner; last week I took it out, and it fits! While I had three pounds to go to hit my official wedding weight as of last Thursday, it’s clear that they would not prevent me from fitting in my wedding gown right now. So I have declared victory regardless of the scale! Besides, Proverbs 11:1 (NIV) says, “The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.” I will bet anyone that there’s at least one scale out there that would read in my favor, and God only knows which one is accurate!
Because of all the hard work I have put into reaching my goal, I have chosen “The Comeback” by Danny Gokey to be my theme song for 2018. Its lyrics speak loudly of the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this project:
After a season of night falls and push backs,
After the heartache of wrong turns and sidetracks,
Just when they think they’ve got you game, set, match,
Here comes the comeback.
Just cause you lay low, got up slow, unsteady,
Don’t mean you blacked out or bought out, you’re ready.
Just when they think there’s nothing left, running on empty,
Here comes the comeback.
This is your time, your moment,
The fire, the fight, you’re golden.
You’ve come so far, keep on going.
Oh, here comes the comeback.
You feel the lightning, the thunder, your soul shakes,
Under the roar of the heaven, the tide breaks,
And from the ashes you will take your place.
Here comes the comeback.
I have done the dieting thing a number of times in my life, and I always make headway for a while before losing my way again, most notably because of pregnancy over the last nine years. After three very challenging pregnancies and all the weight gained during them, it would have caused anyone to want to give up on returning to a healthy lifestyle. I knew that my children deserved more from this mama, and I have been bound and determined to fight to give them their best mama ever. This is my comeback victory lap for a healthy life that is no longer just a dream but a reality.
Psalm 126:3 says, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”
(NIV). My joy is complete as I share with you these marvelous things He has done in my life. I am truly humbled and blessed for His provision, His strength and the determination He gave me to get the job done with His help.
Psalm 20:6 says, “Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand” (NIV). And it is such a sweet victory in so many ways because I have had so many obstacles in my past keep me from attaining goals that have been set out before me.
I am so grateful for all the support everyone has given me in reaching these goals, most especially my family, without whom none of it would be possible. They have given me a lot of “Mommy time” each day that I have been working to attain these goals. And now I have new ones that I will soon share with you.
Psalm 67:1-2 says, “God be gracious and kind-hearted to us and bless us, and make His face shine [with favor] on us. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation and deliverance among all nations.” I truly believe that God has been so kind to me, blessed me and shined His favor upon me so that His glory can be known on this earth and shared with the nations, especially in Peru. But I certainly won’t box Him in! His favor has an infinite purpose. This is His Victory Lap!
God’s purpose for His kids is not to live in fear and failure but to live in victory and blessing. He shines on us that we might shine on others. So if you need a victory, soak up some of this light because God is F O R – Y O U! And if God is for us, who can be against us?!
The Art of Choosing True Life 