Can you Handle the Truth?

"I’m not gonna look!, I’m not gonna even step on that scale!  I know that I have gained weight, why do I want to feel judged? I am just going to avoid it until I am ready!"

Ever been here?

My husband has been out of town, and with no one at home, my eating and sleeping schedule has been less than normal. Usually, I have meals at the same time and my sleeping patterns are consistent. Not this week!

• I went to bed later, got up later!
• Ate a bowl of ice cream for dinner or just had tortilla chips!
• Snacked on peanut butter m&m’s, pretzels and a variety of other not so good for you morsels.

In the midst of all of this I saw the scale.  Most of the time I hop on to check my weight, make sure that things are on the right track and adjust my eating as necessary.  You might say that I have an honest relationship with it.

Not this week! The scale represented the truth! I did NOT want to know how things were! I did not want to see that I had gained 5 pounds!  Each time I walked by I would mumble, Don’t look at me that way!”

Recently I read an article on Youbeauty.com “Could You Live Without Looking at Yourself? One Woman Swears Off Mirrors for a Year.”  Engeln-Maddox. an engaged woman was not going to look at herself in the mirror until her wedding day!  She was trying to see if it would improve her self confidence and improve her self esteem.  It will be interesting to see how this turns out!

Avoiding the mirror and the scale seem like the same thing to me. They both avoid the truth.

Sometimes we avoid things;

To make us feel better

Because we are afraid of the truth

Because it causes pain

Because we know that they will force us to change

Because it is easier

This morning, I got on the scale. “Time to face reality, I said as I waited for the scale to shout the ugly truth!”  I stood there shocked and amazed. I got off and then I got right back on! How could this be?

The weight, that I was so afraid of knowing, was less than when I had last weighed myself!

The truth will set you free! He will free you from;

Worry

Anxiety

Fear

Poor Self image

Anger

Resentment

Pain

Shame

The unknown

Whatever you have been avoiding, know that the Truth takes away the power of the lie!

Don’t be enslaved by the lie! You can be set free!

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

Father, thank you for sending  the truth to us! Thank you for the freedom that comes from knowing and being known by Jesus! Thank you for encouraging me to get on the scale, face the fear and be set free!

Don't Get Wet!

Memory Monday

This morning my mind was flooded with the memory of sitting on a wooden bridge with my brother Chuck.

Earlier that crisp autumn day we had decided that it would be fun to go down to the creek and sit on the bridge. We rushed into the presence of our mom to ask if it would be okay to do so. Her exact words were, "Don't get wet!" Off we ran brimming with giggling excitement. After trekking through the overgrown path to the bridge we decided to walk along the creek's bank to collect some rocks. We needed an arsenal to throw into the water. What happened next is pivotal to the story. I slipped and did what my mother asked me not to do, yes, I was all wet! Slush, slush, slush was the sound of my shoes as I climbed up to the bridge. "Mom is going to be so mad at me", I whimpered! 

In a few minutes we were dangling our feet over the water and throwing rocks into the water. That's when It happened!  The idea to rectify my situation was so simple. "Chucky, mom won't know that I got wet if I tell her that my shoes fell off into the water" I exclaimed proudly! 

It is true, I threw my new shoes into the water and watched them float away! 

There was more evidence however and those 2 socks also met their demise into the creek. What my elementary mind did not think through was that my mother had much more wisdom and experience than I did.  She quickly caught me in my lie and the consequences followed.


Looking back I understand that my carefully planned excuse and cover-up was a lie, no matter how I try to sugar coat it.  It reminds me of Adam and Eve in the garden trying to hide and justify their sinfulness. 


Thankfully we have the good news of Christ!  We do not have to hide from Him!  He loves us and knows all about us!  He has seen our sinfulness and has forgiven us! 

God is sheer mercy and grace;
      not easily angered, he's rich in love.
   He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
      nor hold grudges forever.
   He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
      nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
   As high as heaven is over the earth,
      so strong is his love to those who fear him.
   And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
      he has separated us from our sins.
   As parents feel for their children,
      God feels for those who fear him.
   He knows us inside and out,
      keeps in mind that we're made of mud. 

Psalm 103 The Message