This week, I saw an article on USA Today that said that deemed this past Tuesday, February 9th, as “Fitness Cliff day”.
It’s the “day of doomed resolutions” according to many gyms, fitness facilities, and wellness professionals.
It’s the day that the majority of people have thrown in the towel, said that it is simply too hard to create change, and have walked away from healthy living goals.
A little further research led me to a statistic that said that by this point in the year, 70% of you have given up on your healthy living resolutions for the year. SEVENTY PERCENT.
That means out of our Facebook followers, over 4,200 have given up. Out of the 160 At-Home TRIBE members, 112 have given up. Of our Instagram followers, 2026 have given up.
And I just can’t come to grips with that statistic.
See, I choose to believe that we walked into this journey knowing it was much more about our hearts than our bodies…more about our habits than our moment by moment happenings…more about our purpose than our pleasure.
The article said that “people become frustrated when they can’t do exactly as they set out to do on January 1st”, so they simply quit.
THEY QUIT.
Maybe you’re one of those 70%. Maybe you started out the year with an unattainable goal of dramatic lifestyle change with huge weight loss results. Maybe you tried a new eating plan where you cut out dairy and gluten and sugar and expected miraculous change in a couple weeks. Maybe you determined you would only eat organic foods and spend an hour a day working out.
I don’t know what your specific plans were, but I do know this: LIFE HAPPENS.
Right?
In an ideal world, we could plan ahead, we could find plenty of time to exercise, have enough money to buy perfectly healthy foods all the time, we could have the hours in our day to prepare fresh, local foods, and we would all have success.
But that’s not the world that we live in.
And friends, we have a lot more at stake than worrying over our specific physiques and pant size. WE ARE ON A MISSION and THAT should change everything.
See, I choose to believe that we are a people united for a greater cause than just fitting into smaller clothes or looking good in a bikini. I believe that if you’re sitting and reading this post right now, you KNOW the importance of taking good care of your body and you want to do so for one reason: HIS GLORY.
You have realized that perfection is unattainable, but you’re ready to follow Him into deeper waters and into learning how to fuel your body well both physically AND spiritually so that you can pursue the calling you’ve been given.
Here’s what I know:
I believe that it’s NEVER too late to start over and that we can get right back on track even if we threw in the towel on January 2nd.
I believe that there is freedom to be found that has absolutely NOTHING to do with a number on the scale, but in the posture of our hearts.
I believe that we can decide to press on even when it’s difficult, due to our faith in knowing that the way we steward our health matters and that we are accountable for doing so.
I believe that although there will be setbacks, that you CAN and you WILL change your life because you’re not walking through this thing alone.
I believe that you’ve come too far and know too much to turn back into being misled, persuaded, and overwhelmed by any of the fitness gimmicks out there that promise you a short term result but are often followed by long-term defeat.
I believe that He who calls is ABLE and that if He called you to this, He will see you through it.
BUT- I also know that the enemy of your soul wants nothing more than to make you feel defeated.
To whisper to you that you aren’t enough and you’ll never be strong enough to beat these habits.
To convince you to buy into the lie that this same cycle of defeat is the one that you are meant to walk and that you’ll keep hustling for your worth then hiding in shame for the rest of your days.
Sometimes, we have to call him out and bring to light the lies that we have believed. And friend, if you’ve believed any lie that says something that contrasts what you KNOW the Lord has told you, then it’s time to CAST IT DOWN.
It’s time to link arms with one another and march forward.
It’s time to SET YOUR GAZE on Him and remember the call.
REMEMBER the promise.
REMEMBER WHO it is that you are seeking to please.
REMEMBER the truths that He has whispered to you on the mountain top so that you can sing them back when you’re walking through the valley.
REMEMBER TODAY who you are.
REMEMBER TODAY WHOSE YOU ARE.
AND WALK ON.
His strength. His purposes. His calling.
This may look different than you imagined. It may mean that your scale hasn’t moved one single pound and yet He is asking you to continue on. It may mean that you have to set down some of the food plans, nutrition guides, or hard-core workouts that you’ve clung to as an idol for years. It may mean that He calls you to go in a completely different direction than you ever anticipated.
He is asking you, “Will you obey me regardless?”
“Will you trust ME with the results?”
“Will you love me enough to follow where I’m leading even if it doesn’t look like you thought it would?”
Friends, I’ve grown weary of watching so many walk away defeated. Those who base their worth and their value on a stinking number on the scale. And I’ve also grown tired of watching others swing to the complete opposite end of the spectrum who say “He loves me anyway, it doesn’t really matter if I take care of myself or not.”
See, neither of those two extremes is following where we’ve been called.
Stewardship falls right in the middle between Obsession and Neglect.
Throwing in the towel and falling off the “fitness cliff”, is not where He is calling you.
Becoming obsessed with your weight and food and counting every single pound as an indicator of worth, also not where He is calling you.
Today, be reminded.
THERE IS FREEDOM TO BE FOUND in the journey.
I need you to not quit.
I need you to trust that just around the corner could be the Promised Land that He has been preparing for you. You may be just around the bend from it, and if you turn back now, you will continue wandering in the desert for years and years.
Aren’t your tired?
Aren’t you sick of the cycle: diet, quit and binge, diet, quit and binge, etc.
He is calling you to a better way- HIS way.
Let’s be those who refuse to fit into the statistics and who keep going even when we don’t want to. Let’s be those who choose to move forward into our PURPOSE instead of pursuing temporary pleasures.
If you need support, we are here to cheer you on! Be sure to follow along on the social media sites, or for those who want more daily encouragement and accountability, consider the At-Home TRIBE.
We’re ready to beat the statistics. We’re ready to walk forward as FREE WOMEN who refuse to give up and to turn back when the Lord is leading.
We are pressing on.
Will you join us?
“Our health–as a Believer in Christ–is so much more than what society says it to be. For us–it is about stewardship. It is about obedience and full submission, turning this gift of life and the tool He uses to do His work, back to Him…If it’s been a while since you’ve asked God what He may want you to do in regards to your health, then I encourage you to do that. Just like the areas of parenting, marriage, finances, schooling etc–it will look different for each of us, but it’s our duty to ask, listen, and then obey…” Quote from: ”Discipline: The Glad Surrender” by Elisabeth Elliot.
