If Jesus was sitting down with you, or going for a walk with you, or…well, think of your favorite place in the entire world and imagine being there with Him–one-on-one time with the Savior–if you had that time with Him, what do you think he would say to you? What would be the number one thing on his list of things to tell you?

Would he challenge you to believe Him more? Would he encourage you with the way you have been faithful through difficulties?  Would he correct you? Would he praise you for your diligence and hard work?

Close your eyes for a minute…picture his face. Hear his words…imagine being there, with him. Just the two of you. He has one thing he will say to you. Ok…what is it?

Tell me. Be honest! Ok. Don’t tell me, but tell yourself!

Do you really think he would tell you to lose weight?

When you think about it, most of us give a TRUCKLOAD of focus, attention, and heartache to our weight. We are just sure everyone around us is thinking about our weight. Those of us who are believers even make it “spiritual,” an issue with which to measure our walks with God. Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that we are wrong not to look at our *eating* in light of our relationship with the Lord, but do we really think that our *weight* is something that is at the top of our Savior’s list of things to “straighten out” about us? Or to “praise” us for? Or to implore us to increase or decrease?

Truly, I have to say it again:

God doesn’t call us to be THIN. He calls us to be HIS.

If I pursue thinness and ignore his voice, I am missing it. If I am thin, but ignore his voice, I miss it.

BUT…if I respond to His voice, if I answer “Yes, Lord,” to Him in the moment, if His voice, direction, guidance are sweet to me and obedience sweeter, then my eating will probably not be gluttonous, or greedy, or merely for pleasure’s sake. (Nothing is wrong with pleasure, necessarily, but if we have no boundaries for our eating and eat whenever we want pleasure, then we have crossed a line…more on this another time…)

Still, this says nothing about my weight!

I know someone(s) who are concerned … deeply … about three “extra” pounds she carries. She is convinced she must lose three pounds. What’s more, she somehow turns this into a spiritual barometer of her walk with God. Some like her are faithful to eat between hunger and satisfaction. They aren’t greedy or gluttonous. They use discernment when they are hungry to make their food choices. They respond to the Lord’s voice about their eating. WOW! They are obedient saints who have given their eating habits to God!

Their eating is not something that is a weakness in their walks with God. Much to the contrary!

BUT… they remain ensnared over their weight! Or bow to the scale.

Does Jesus really find offense at 3 pounds? Or 20 pounds for that matter?

Yes, he does want us to keep our temple as healthy as possible, but the temple isn’t just physical. It is spiritual and emotional. Many of us sell out our spiritual and emotional selves for the sake of the physical–to get to a certain weight that…get this… God may not intend for us to be!!! 

 This SO isn’t about your weight. It is, in a round about way, about eating…but only in a round about way. What I mean is, how we eat, why we eat…when we eat…all say something about our hearts.

And that is what Jesus is after.

I really think that if we each had one-on-one time with our Savior, our weight would not be on his radar screen. Our hearts would be.

So, what does your heart weigh? What does HE see when he looks at your heart?

You may be thin, thick, short, tall, lumpy, firm, round, oblong…but are you HIS?