He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.
Psalm 107:14 (NIV)
My weight loss struggles began at a very early age as a result of a mother who had her own weight and body image issues, and therefore projected those onto me. In her heart of hearts, she felt as if she was helping me not to experience the struggles that she did, but she only made that area of life harder for me.
But this isn’t going to be me wallowing in that or bashing my mom. {Before I go on, my mom and I are good. In fact, we’re great. I love her dearly. I shared some things I learned from her in a post a few years back. You can read it here.}
This message is about making a choice. No matter what happens in life, we get to decide how we respond and what we do with the experiences. Will you be the heroine or the victim?
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. ~ Nora Ephron
For a long time, I did allow myself to be the victim. I shied away from life and gave into worry and anxiety about my body. I didn’t think I’d ever earn the love of another man. I easily fell into the comparison trap and constantly judged myself. I was able to put on a front and go through life as if I was doing okay, but on the inside I was in a constant battle with my body and my thoughts.
All the while, I did have a relationship with the Lord. I read my Bible and prayed. I wanted to be free of this struggle. I didn’t want to be chained to these worries and to focus only on my body. Eventually, I allowed Jesus to set me free. I finally allowed Him to have access to every part of my life including my weight and body image. As a result, I gained confidence in who I was and Whose I was. I stopped being the victim of my early years and took control of this area of my life by surrendering it to Jesus.
I’ve worked with women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, even 70s who were still struggling with negative influences from their early years like I was. Whether it was unkind words or early examples of women constantly pursuing weight loss, they were still victims of feeling not enough. Feeling like they must pursue a certain body type to find acceptance. Like me, these women knew they were too old to still be struggling.
I was 40 before I stopped being the victim and stepped into the heroine role of my life. There’s still time for you to change your perspective and embrace this age and stage of life. You can live with confidence in who you are and Whose you are. Because I allowed the Lord to break those chains in my life, I was free to pursue my passion and my purpose in life. I soon realized that my passion was to help women find the freedom I found so that they too are free to pursue their passion and purpose. I can help you be the heroine of your life no matter your age. I can help you start living fit and free!
If you’re ready to make the change, some places to start:
- The Bible. Read God’s Word and know what He says about you. I wrote some devotionals to help you with that.
- Join my free Facebook Group where I share faith-focused fitness inspiration and motivation.
- My Faith and Fitness Support and Accountability Community will help you stop circling that mountain of diet, gimmicks, and quick fixes and truly start living fit and free.
God wants to break the chains in your life. He doesn’t want you to be in bondage to negative self-talk or an unhealthy relationship with food and your body. He loves you. He created you. He wants you to celebrate who you are in Him.
Action Step
Give your worries to the Lord. Let go of what’s holding you back and gain the confidence to embrace this age and stage of life. Reach out to Him, and He’ll be there to lead you out of the darkness and to break the chains that have you bound up. It’s time to start living fit and free so you can embrace your passion and your purpose.
