Be a Superhero
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
James 5:19-20
Lot, Abraham’s nephew, lived in Sodom. God warned him that it was time to leave that sinful city, but he was used to the sin. In fact, he participated in the wickedness even though he knew better. At one point in the story, the city was burning down all around him and he still didn’t want to leave! An angel had to come and take his hand and actually pull him from the city. God cared enough about Lot to snatch him out of the destruction even though Lot wasn’t eager to be saved.
A friend of mine who is a medic told me that he was recently called to go out with a team to remove a 1,100-pound man from his home and transport him to the hospital because he was having an irregular heartbeat. Eight men were required to transport him. After examining him, the doctors told him he had only days to live.At the hospital, the morbidly obese patient’s weight exceeded the capacity of even the largest bariatric hospital bed. The poor man was terribly ashamed of his size. He cried and begged the medics to take him back to his home, because he didn’t want to die in humiliation. The ambulance team took pity on him and transported him back to his home where he died within 30 minutes. He was only 30 years old. I can’t help but wonder what life could have been like for this young man if someone had been willing to snatch him from his destruction. What if he had had someone in his life who cared enough to give him a helping hand? What if his family had said, “No, we will not bring you unhealthy food for you to eat in bed because we love you too much to let you eat yourself to death?” What if someone had been willing to see that he got professional help?
As you continue on your journey to better physical and spiritual health, God will use the things you learn in order to help someone. Count on it. Look for the opportunity, because it’s going to happen. You just have to be willing to reach out and lend a hand to a hurting individual. Sometimes that person may not even realize that they need to be rescued, but as you share your own story, it may be the catalyst they need to make lasting positive change—change that might even save their life.
Say this prayer with me, Lord, open my eyes to the pain of those around me. Show me how I can demonstrate your love to a hurting soul. Use me, Father, to make a difference for your Kingdom
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If you are interested in learning more about helping others who are obese, make plans to attend the Faith and Fitness Redefined Conference at The Athletic Business Convention and Expo in New Orleans, LA. The conference is on November 18, 2015. Link to information: https://faithandfitness.net/redefined .
I will be teaching specifically about obtaining and retaining the obese client. Here are a few points we’ll be discussing:
- Special considerations when working with obese population
- The migrating diet vs. all or nothing approach
- How do you properly train an obese client
- Digging deeper – what’s really behind the extra pounds
- Retaining an obese client – accountability, tough love and encouragement
- Starting a spiritually based exercise/support group for the obese population
Hope to see you there!
