You Are Amazing in the Body You Are In Today!
One of my favorite clients is Earl Ray Kennedy. At his heaviest he weighed 913 pounds. When I met him in 2010 he was down to 525 pounds, a remarkable achievement!
The first day I met Earl, we cooked a healthy breakfast together at my home and then I asked him a question, I said, “Earl, what would you like to learn today?” He said, “ I’d like for you to show me what I can do in this 525 pound body.” He was filled with gratitude that he was mobile and that there were new exercise techniques he could learn. Earl wasn’t fixated on the future. He was in the PRESENT. He was so thankful that God had helped him lose almost 400 pounds and he was ready for what was next.
That day we went out to a nearby park to meet a newspaper reporter who met us to cover Earl’s story along with another former Biggest Loser contestant who was joining us for the workout. Earl did things that he never dreamed he could do because he hadn’t ever tried to do them, but what I loved was that he was willing to try … with a good attitude! Earl stretched, boxed, swung kettle bells and jogged with a 50 pound punching bag strapped to his back. He pushed his body and he broke through barriers that were holding him back from pressing forward in his fitness.
Now, life hasn’t been rosy for Earl since that day just because he learned to work out more efficiently. As we have met together many more times, life seemed to get harder for him. He had a major staff infection in his foot that was debilitating and took months to heal. He was well on his way to make it as a contestant on The Biggest Loser, Season 13 and then at the last minute he was told he would not be needed. As if that wasn’t enough he and his wife lost their unborn child.
Did these events set Earl back? You bet. Did they knock the wind out of his sails, sure it did, he’s human. Was this a season of sorrow and mourning? Without a doubt. But what I love is that Earl keeps his eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of his faith. He will not quit!
Many times we are looking down the road wishing for the desired end result. Or we may be looking back at what used to be. Both cause us to miss the joy of the present. The Lord would like to invite you to live the present. He’d like to ask you to start fully participating in all that He has for you. Sometimes embracing the present is hard, especially when we are learning new eating habits, setting new goal for our behavior, getting rid of wounds and old patterns of thinking.
Embrace this journey of healing. Know that He is with you on this path. Accept that you are amazing in the body you are in today!
