Weighing in on God

I got on the scale and it read one pound heavier than it did the day before. I couldn't understand it. I had been to the gym the night before and worked out for a solid hour. I was dripping in sweat when I came home. It didn't make sense. How could I be exercising more and still gaining weight?

As I looked at my wife she simply said, "Maybe its because you have been eating more." I didn't want to hear that. Of course I rewarded myself with an extra helping of mashed potatoes, but that shouldn't matter. The Cheeze-its shouldn't count either. I did run up and down the stairs at home at least four extra times.

All joking aside, I know why my weight is up. I have been eating more. I haven't been making good choices. I have been snacking. The truth is that I have been so busy concentrating on other things that I have let my attention on what I eat drift away. Although I do a pretty good job of multi taking most of the time, there is a limit to what any one person can do. I've reached my limit.

It made me think about the number of people I know who let their spiritual life drift away as well. In the heat of a busy summer they skip church on Sunday. They don't tend to their daily devotionals and rarely stop to spend a few minutes in prayer. Then they wonder why life is getting a bit out of control. I love the book by Bill Hybils entitled, "Too Busy Not To Pray." He says that when we don't make time for God, when we can't fit in time to pray, we will never be able to accomplish everything we want to do.

Hybils is right. Prayer and worship center us and helps us slow down the clock. Time with God helps us reset our priorities and put everything in proper order. It allows us to do the most important things first and that allows us to be most productive.

The same is true with my weight. If I eat right, I will feel stronger and more rested. I will then be able to tackle the more pressing issues of the day. It is all about putting first things first. It begins with God. Then it moves to taking care of myself. From there we look at blessing my neighbors.

So today is a brand new day. Why wait until New Year's to start over. You can begin today. I am going to and you can too.

Cal