Week 1, Day 2

It is amazing what public proclamation does for staying on track! As painful as it was to step out yesterday, it was worth it in exchange for motivation.

For me, the road to transformation begins with focusing on changing habits. Areas I want to change:

• impulsive eating (you know, grabbing something to nosh on without even thinking about it)


• too much Diet Coke (the little pick-me-up that really weighs me down)


• not enough physical activity (every excuse in the book)


• unhealthy choices (see above)


• impatience (what? the weight doesn't fall off? Then I might as well eat a donut)


• perfectionism (I'm a recovering perfectionist - it rears its ugly head from time to time)


• focus on me instead of God (never works)

I was amazed to read my devotional yesterday, God always meets me right where I am. The scripture was Proverbs 3:12 "For whome the Lord loves, He corrects". In this devotional he taught me: "Self-discipline is the mark of maturity. If you don't have control of yourself in a certain area, you are undisciplined. In that area you are not mature. If you want to be a mature Christian, then you must be disciplined. If you want to be free to truly enjoy your life, you must face the truth. You cannot be free if you make excuses for any area of weakness that God has pointed out to you. Everyone has weaknesses: give thanks to God if you discover one of yours today, and trust Him to be strong in that area on your behalf. "

My weakness: self-control/discipline. Thank God for my weakness, for in it God is strong!

I did not do some things today that prior to making this public I probably would have done:

• I did not drink Diet Coke, even though I was at work where that is a habit. I even heard the librarian across the hallway crack open a can of pop and didn't give in! Instead, I chose water and unsweetened iced tea.


• I did not buy a frozen yogurt at Costco. Oh, I wanted to, but I imagined confessing that here and that was enough to have self-control and walk away. Even my shopping was different - bringing home only healthy whole foods/fruits instead of Costco yummy treats.

I thank God for his strength in avoiding those pitfalls. On my own I would have given in, but I've committed this effort to him and to his glory.

Onward!