Day 21

In last night's post, I mentioned how disturbed I was by the "image" of myself on the Xbox Biggest Loser game.  It bothered me so much again today that I decided to take a picture so everyone could see what I'm talking about.  No, the frightening image isn't of the ripped chick in the middle.......that's supposed to be Jillian Michaels.  It's the little (or I guess I should say BIG) image on the right side of the screen is the Kinect image and the person in the red is my avatar!  Really?  My 7 year old watched me this morning while I completed the workout and he said, "Mommy, I think this game makes you look really fat on the screen so you'll want to keep playing your game because you don't look like that........actually you're skinny!"  (Ha ha ha......He knows how to make me feel better, he exaggerates, BUT still makes me feel better!)  After the workout, the game asked me to create my own "avatar" for the game. The "default" avatar for this game is a 350+ pound woman with nappy hair .  On top of that, she's missing two of her teeth!?!?!?  Needless to say, I adjusted my avatar so that it was a better resemblance of me, so hopefully my upcoming workouts will cause me to sweat from my hard work.......not from the nightmarish image on the screen!

As I read my devotion this morning, I had to check the author's name to make sure I wasn't the author.  It hit so close to home that I seriously could have written it myself.  It is so true & is something I definitely need to apply to my daily life.  I decided to share it in today's blog post so you could read for yourself. 
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January 21, 2013 Who Controls What? By Glynnis Whitwer

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." 
Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)

Ask me why my attempts at losing weight haven't been successful and I can give you a list of reasons: It was a stressful summer, I hit a "golden" number on my birthday, how could I say no to the scrumptious food on vacation? And the "best" one (the one that garnered the most sympathy) - I couldn't exercise due to a minor medical procedure on my legs.

But the bottom line is this: I lack self-control in this area of my life.

I know what I should do. Or more accurately, I know what I should NOT do. And yet when faced with a temptation, I give in. Rather than choose a modest portion size, I justify a second helping. Or I set myself up by not anticipating my weakness and buying Little Debbie Swiss Rolls thinking I'll only eat half of one. Oh, how I deceive myself.

The ability to control my own choices is a God-given gift. And yet it's one I misuse some times. Sadly rather than controlling myself, I choose to try to control other things. And end up losing control of myself.

Here was God's original plan: He controls the world. We control ourselves.
That's a great plan when you think it through objectively. God's got unlimited resources, unlimited wisdom, and unlimited power. He should be in charge of the world with that resume.
That's not what happened though. Many generations ago, in a garden with some fruit that was off-limits, we decided we didn't like that plan. In fact, we decided it was our job to control the world. After all, we have to live in it, right? Shouldn't we make the rules? Plus, we really should make sure others stay in line too. My what a big job we have trying to corral everyone! It's exhausting.
So the more we focus on God's job (controlling the world and other people) the less we do our job (controlling ourselves).

I love today's Scripture verse from Proverbs 25:28, "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." (NIV) This gives me a mental image of an unprotected treasure. So when an enemy tries to attack, there is no defense.

As I apply that to my life, I can see where the enemy sneaks in through my lack of self-control. Especially when I start my excuses. Whether it's excuses for over-eating, not managing my home well or over-committing myself, without self-control I'm like a bombarded city. The more I focus on what I can't control, the less I'm able to manage what I can control.

Thankfully, God has a plan in place to help us with this issue. He sent His Holy Spirit to live in us. Galatians 5:22-24 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (NIV)

As we start a new year, I'm taking a fresh look at what I can control and what I can't. I'm acknowledging my need of God's help, but I'm also acknowledging my responsibility. Thankfully I can release the load of trying to control others, because on most days, I'm as much as I can handle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------As I begin another hectic work week, I strive to remember to demonstrate self-control with my eating and.........Everything 4:13