I could easily post them and tell you that these were taken weeks apart and that the transformation you see is due to stellar food choices and movement.

But, actually, it’s just the same minute, the same body, standing at ease in one, and sucking it all in for the other.

And the truth? My body is the same good body in both.

This body has survived cancer, ran a half marathon, birthed two babies, held the hands of dying family members and kissed the faces of so many that I’ve loved along the way. This body has been the vehicle in which I’ve gotten to experience life, chase big dreams, stand on platforms to speak, fallen to my knees in prayer and with which I can surrender arms high in worship.

This body dances while I plunk my bass guitar when I lead worship and allows me to wrap my arms around those who are struggling. It houses the Spirit that prompts me on what to do and how to live and it overly expresses almost every emotion I am feeling.

This body has stretch marks and laugh lines, wrinkles and cellulite. This body is bigger than industry standards might deem acceptable for the profession I currently serve in and this body has been the very one needed for the people He has given me to lead.

This body is good. I refuse to call it anything else. It’s good because He designed it and it’s good because it allows me to live and laugh and jump and dance and
I.
Will.
Not.
Belittle.
It.

I won’t shame it because it doesn’t fit well into the new dress I ordered and I won’t condemn it because it hasn’t responded as quickly as I think it should.

The gift of a healthy body? Priceless. Literally. Priceless.

If you’re healthy today- I’m talking to you. Stop being so hard on yourself. Eat well. Move well. Rest well.

But more than that, love well (including the body you are living in).

Progress photo #1 for 2019? This is it.
A free heart that can’t be defined or defeated by a reflection in a mirror.

But, what if we were called to something else? What if instead of determining that we’d do all the things perfectly just because the calendar flipped to January, what if we just offered up our obedience to whatever we are feeling called towards?

Maybe it IS changing your diet, macro tracking, or implementing a new exercise program. Maybe it’s adding in a few healthy habits that feel sustainable and life giving. Maybe it’s gradually moving your bedtime earlier to ensure you get enough sleep, or maybe it’s implementing technology limits in your home. Maybe it’s Scripture memory or time in the Word.

Whatever the things we’ve been called to are- what if we gauged our success solely by this: OBEDIENCE?

Not feeling like a failure and quitting because we don’t always get it right, but instead remembering that five steps forward and two steps back still means we are three steps further than we were when we begun.

Instead of ditching our resolutions today, what if we determine to dig into remembering what we’ve been called to do and then remembering why it matters? What if we reframe or shift our goals if needed because our motivation may have been wrong when we set them, and instead we try again, but this time in freedom and joy?

You’re not giving up. Not you, not this time. Rest, reframe, and try again. Not ditching- but digging in. Not despairing, but determining to continue towards the things you’ve been called to.

Let’s go.