“ Make small , habitual changes , like memorizing Psalm 139:14 , so your mindset shifts when you begin to compare yourself to others .”
social media . Her doctor told her it would be impossible to lose weight , as she was battling several autoimmune diseases and had gained forty pounds while on medications . I had faith she could regain her health , but all she could do was mourn the comparison of her life before illness with life after taking prescription after prescription .
I asked her to borrow my faith that her body could be transformed until she could see it with her own eyes . She did . In three months she lost forty pounds . Imagine if she had not reached out and instead settled for comparing her life before disease to her current reality . It was a highlight when Janie called me after her oneyear physical with that same doctor who told her she wouldn ’ t be able to battle the weight gain from medications . He was astounded !
One of the greatest basketball players of all time is , arguably , Michael Jordan . With six championship wins under his belt with the Chicago Bulls , his ability to fly through the air to slam dunk on his opponents has led to a massive marketing brand . With all his success , Jordan faced challenges and even failure during his career , yet he never quit . “ Failure ,” he says , “ makes me work even harder .” 1 It obviously paid off .
Whenever we face a failure or an obstacle , we have two choices to make . We can say , “ That didn ’ t work . I give up ,” or we can say , “ That didn ’ t work , but I ’ m making progress toward finding what will !” Our mindset will lead us toward mistakes or mastery ; surrender or success .
I am still a work in progress , but one blessing of my health journey has been allowing the Holy Spirit to remind me that I am unique , and that includes my body . Psalm 139:14 says , “ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made ; your works are wonderful , I know that full well .” But do we ? Do we know that all God does in designing our bodies is wonderful ? Do we know it “ full well ”? Or do we wish we were someone else ? A baller like Michael Jordan ? A little bit taller ? A little less soft around the middle ? You will never hear me say it ’ s okay to carry dangerous fat on our bodies , but accepting the way our unique bodies adjust on a health journey is critical for hope to grow .
Let ’ s be careful about what we envy . Or better yet , let ’ s rid the green-eyed monster from our lives for good . It ’ s hard to keep your eye on the prize when your eyes are on someone else ’ s progress in the other lane !
A professional swimmer puts it this way : “ If you are staring constantly at what the swimmer in the next lane is doing , you are ignoring the things you can do . The things you are good at .” He adds , “ When you catch yourself peering over into the other lane , or measuring yourself up against other swimmers , turn back to your process .” 2 Comparing yourself to others will often result in their success , not yours .
Turn back to your process . Stay in your lane . Fad diets may not work for you . They won ’ t work for
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