Perspectives

I've been thinking a lot of what I was going to write this week.  Perspectives won out, it's been on my mind all week how I still have the perspective of a fat man (I hope I always do).  It is difficult for me to put the thoughts and ideas that are bouncing around in my head down, so please bear with me as I try to make some sense of them. 

When I talk with folks that I haven't seen in a while, the subject of my weight loss comes up most of the time.  I enjoy the affirmation that I'm much smaller than I used to be and that helps me do better when faced with good and bad options at meal time.  However, I had a "slap in the face" the other day.  I was looking at the BMI calculator for someone and realized that I'm 0.2 (whatever BMI is measured in) away from being overweight.  I've been looking at my size and journey through the eyes of a fat man. 

As I sit here writing this, I'm wearing a Large shirt and 33" waist pants.  Now, to some of you, you may say "he still needs to lose some more... his clothes are telling him that, he's wearing a LARGE shirt after all".  Others may say, "My left ankle is 33" ".  My guess is most folks will be in the middle of those.  When I started losing weight, I was in a 2XL-3XL shirt and a 46-48" waist.  From that perspective, that of a fat man, 33" waist pants seems awesome.  Then I bump into a friend that has a smaller waist and reality sits in... The journey is not over.  It is something that has to be worked on from now on. 

Spiritually, we need to realize the perspective we're looking at things from.  Remember Paul in 2 Corinthians 12?  How his physical ailments were really a way for God to shine?  I hope my weight issues through life will be an instrument God can use to shine through me. 

On a similar topic, I read this week that the South is not only the Bible Belt, but we're also known as the Stroke Belt and Diabetes Belt as well.  Let's think about that.  We treat our bodies so bad that we are statistically more likely to have a stroke or diabetes.  We live a much more laid back life than any other area of the country that I've visited, so it must be the way we treat our bodies.  We know that we are the Temple of God, yet we treat the Temple this way?  From this fat man's perspective, there is something really, really wrong with that.  I plan on picking up on this subject next week. 

I truly hope you have a great week and truly welcome your comments or questions. 

May He increase and i decrease,

Shane