Live and Look Like Your Journey!!

Scriptural references:

Galatians 4:19a, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,”

Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

2 Peter 1:4-8, “According as HIS divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of HIM that hath called us to glory and virtue; Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.”

Nearly every day and multiple times throughout the day I struggle with food, weight loss, weight gain, and muscle gain. Eat the chocolate cake. Eat the broccoli. Five more reps. Lay down and watch cooking shows while eating potato chips. I am a work in progress and my results are sometimes slow and the grind is hard. Grappling with my transforming relationship with food and my body image vs my ideal is a complex and an intricate part of my identity and self perception. My physical transformation is a journey of fitness. My physical transformation is not a one-time visit to the gym and suddenly arrive at fitness and improved health.

Like many church attendees today I have heard a preacher say, ‘You don’t look like what you’ve been through!!’ Predictably the congregants erupt with jubilant shouts and take a lap around the church exultant and elated. I have heard that statement, ‘You don’t look like what you’ve been through!!’ and whispered under my breath, “Oh yes I do!!”

 

JESUS and I have walked through fire, storms, wilderness, and meadows. The waves of sorrow have beat against my soul. The joys of victory have erupted in a shout of praise to shake the rafters. I look exactly like what I have been through, and I am grateful for the proof. 

To resist looking like my journey is to say to my body after a grueling workout not to reflect the transformation in muscle tone or a strengthened core. To deny looking like my recent or historical trial of faith is to insult the grace given me to stand when I wanted to crumble.

To deny my history through valleys and shadows of death when I have chosen to worship when I wanted to beat my offender with my bare hands is to disdain the mercies that were lavishly poured on me by JESUS to show love and extend grace to those who are hard to love.

I’m flexing my faith muscles and looking for godly fruit to be blooming on my life’s tree. I’m looking for the fleshly ways of responding to trials, tests, and temptation to be shed as I am steadily conformed into the image of JESUS. I am faithfully obediently humbling myself to JESUS Lordship. I am trusting HIS Word. Following HIS Holy Spirit. Believing that HIS will is creating in me more of the fruit of the Spirit of GOD and less of the works of the flesh.

The soul I see staring back at me each morning as I stand in the mirror will reflect the glorious sufferings of CHRIST as I am conformed into HIS image each day. My choice to choose healthy proteins, balanced nutrition and physical activity is paying off, on the scale and within my body. I feel better while I wait for the looking better to arrive. I am becoming more like JESUS and Yes, I look like where I’ve been on this journey of faith.

I hope you look like what you've been through, too!

Feel free to shine,

OneLight

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