The holidays are over and here I am contemplating, “what was I thinking?”
All the consumption.
All the unhealthy choices.
All the times I gave in.
And all for what? All to feel good in the moment?
At this point you may realize I am not just talking about the scale found in the bathroom or the jeans that barely fit and have me resembling a baked item. Hello, muffin top!
We have all made unhealthy choices in 2020.
Some of our choices are the results of unpredictable circumstances:
- Working from home = stagnant physically = weight gain
- Stay at home orders = disconnection/ isolation = Anxiety/ depression/ loneliness = lack of motivation/ house & work responsibilities piling up/ Netflix binging
- Kids at home while trying to work = lack of patience/ 24/7 work responsibility = outbursts
- Health decline/ diagnosis = further isolation = further decline
What now? It is time to leave behind the weight of 2020.
Our circumstances may not have changed, but how we respond can.
We have three choices to make a change and with the help of David we can evaluate our options.
- Do Something Drastic
We have all been there. The moment we looked in the mirror and said, “Oof. Something needs to change” and we immediately start the diet that we can’t sustain as it requires us to eat far less calories than what our body needs to function. Or perhaps you have walked into a job you didn’t like and just quit.
David also did something pretty drastic after he had given into his desires to sleep with a married woman. After many failed attempts to get her husband to sleep with his wife after returning from war so the baby she was carrying could be considered his, he had him murdered (2 Samuel 11). Most definitely not David’s finest moment.
Shame can make us do a lot of things. You may not have murdered someone, but I am betting you have covered something up. A receipt for something that costs more than you anticipated, a habit you don’t want anyone knowing, or a time you gossiped about a friend?
The problem with doing something drastic in the heat of the moment is it almost always has negative consequences. Sure it felt good to quit your job on the spot, but now you don’t have a job and you may have to discuss your departure during a future job interview.
- Seek Help
In 2 Samuel 12, we find Nathan who has been sent by God to David. I do not believe it is merely “by chance” certain people are placed in my life at specific times. Instead I believe each person is intertwined with my life to teach me something. Nathan had a big job to fill, to call out David on his affair and ultimately his hand in the murder. David could have denied his actions or reacted harshly to Nathan, but instead he turns to God.
But for David this wasn’t the first time God had sent him someone to give him advice. In 1 Samuel 23 David is on the run from King Saul when King Saul’s son, Jonathan, arrives.
17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.
Take a look around. Who do you have in your corner and can lean on? Maybe you need to join a small group at your church or a local community group. Maybe you need to seek the counsel of a therapist or a support group. Whatever it is, you are not meant to do life alone and should seek the counsel of whoever God sends your way.
- Praise and Worship
You will notice even when David takes the advice of his friends, he still seeks God. There is a reason why he is considered “the man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and one is because you find him turning to God over and over again with praise.
David praises and worships Him even when he is on the run, hiding from Saul, so he won’t be killed.
Psalm 18:1-3
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
He worships even after his son, who had resulted from his affair, died.
2 Samuel 12: 20-23
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”
22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Can you say you turn to worship and praise even when life’s circumstances tell you there is nothing here to praise?
Are you guilty of making drastic decisions, relying on only yourself, and choosing to pout over praise?
It is a new year and it is time to start small. Nothing is built in a day. Hey it took you 10 months to be ready for this world so just start.
Fresh perspective.
Fresh worship.
Fresh start.
It ain’t over until it’s over so get started on shedding the weight of 2020!
