Pursue

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day." Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message) What a journey we are on. This journey called life. Life given to us by a God who pursues us - a God who calls us to pursue Him. He has known us since conception. he has had a plan for us since before we were born. He loves us deeply. This God of ours created the earth, knows how many grains of sand are on the shore, knows how many stars are in the sky - even knows them by name! Yet, He calls us His greatest creation. We are the prized possession of this marvelous, breathtaking God. But what's more - He desires us to be in relationship with Him! He desires us to pursue Him, as broken and wretched as we are, we are still called to know Him deeply and to be in relationship with Him daily. Amazing. I've been on a journey to optimal health since August. My friend Heather pursued (a few months earlier) me to tell me about Take Shape For Life. I was hesitant. I didn't want to do it. I knew that I should lose weight. I knew that I valued health, but I didn't know that I would be so transformed and changed by participating in and experiencing the program. So far, I have lost 63 pounds (not done yet), but the health transformation is more than about the victory on the scale. I look in the mirror and I see a changing body, but I still see me. I haven't changed who I am, my pursuit of God or my values, but I have found more motivation, more encouragement and more confidence. I sent Heather a text a couple of weeks ago, explaining my new mindset:

I always knew I was beautiful because I was made in God's image. I told my girls that over and over. That we are all beautiful because we were made in God's image. But as I was thinking about it tonight, I never believed it beyond that. Now I see myself as beautiful beyond the fact that I was made in the image of God. I never wanted to think that way, but it happened.

I never realized that I had less confidence about my appearance because I was carrying so much extra weight. But, now with 63 pounds GONE, I have a new-found confidence, and a new appreciation for God - knowing that He has always loved me, pursued me and thought of me as beautiful. The encouragement I have been blessed with on this journey has been amazing. People are noticing my body changing, and asking me how I've done it. Their words of encouragement mean more to me than I can express, which means that I usually respond very awkwardly with something like, "I got a new jacket." So, THANK YOU to all those who are walking with me on this journey. Heather and David, I am incredibly thankful for you. Thank you for pursuing me for the program so that soon, I can help other people transform their lives! PS: I have also found that I actually ENJOY running! 5K, here I come :)