Have you ever found yourself in a decision-making position that makes you nervous, a little sweaty, sometimes nauseous? Like when you have to make a choice and you know it’s not the most popular one, but something is telling you it’s the right one? I had that about four years ago. It was one of the hardest times, and yet, one of the most freeing ones too.
I have ALWAYS struggled with weight and body image issues. I have tried ALL the diets, pills, programs. You name it…I’ve most likely tried it. I wanted results. I wanted to hit numbers and sizes. I mean, isn’t that why we diet and workout? It’s to look like A, B, or C, weigh this or that and for what? Compliments? Attention?
I had just had my second child and a friend introduced me to a program of workouts and food plans. I was so determined to lose the baby weight…the baby weight from both of my two pregnancies. I jumped in. And when I say jumped, I mean the no fear, let’s do this, cannonball type jump into the water without hesitation or thinking jump. I did it ALL– the food plans, the workouts, the supplements and shakes, I signed up for the whole shebang. We had team calls, and meetings, challenge groups, and goals. I was deep in the group. I thought I found where I belonged. They got me! They knew what I wanted and they encouraged me every step of the way. I was doing it. I saw the results.
At the same time, I was fresh back in my walk with God after walking away from Him for five years. I was on training wheels in my faith. But my faith was quickly taking a back seat to this fear-driven fitness lifestyle. This fitness program had visible results and my faith, well, I’ll be honest, it didn’t feel as fun. But I was super quick to slap Bible verses on my posts and tell my new friends that my “why” was for my family and for God. Yet, that was just a facade. Let’s be real, it was for me, about me. When I made it about the numbers, I made it about me.
Seven years in, many programs in, many pounds lost, and inches lost, I still was missing something. I felt that something wasn’t right when I would do a workout or got on a team call. My husband and I had grown apart but I hadn’t realized it. In a hard and difficult conversation one night with my husband, I was hit with the truth. I was making those around me miserable. My friends didn’t want to go out to dinner with me and my husband felt like he didn’t matter to me. I only talked about this workout, that workout, that result, this food plan. This was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t even realize who I’d become.
Now hear me…. there is nothing wrong with wanting to get healthy and fit. But the how and why was way out of focus for me. I felt the tug to step back from what I was doing. But I didn’t want to. I was popular with my team and we had fun and all the attention that came with it? What would I do?! I had seen people step back and when they did, they didn’t stick around as friends after.
So, I made a deal with God…. sounds quite hilarious now actually. But I said, “let’s go to one last event…open my eyes Lord. Help me see You in this journey.” So, I did. I went to the big yearly event with all the workouts, the fancy people, all of it. I usually had a blast at these things, but I was miserable. I didn’t feel good physically, I struggled to find joy in the workouts, I wasn’t connecting with the people I used to connect with. I found myself lonely and then I realized He was showing me exactly what I needed to see to take a step back.
Okay, Lord, I’ve done this my way for so long. Let’s talk.
But I was scared….I had been in this community for so long that I didn’t know how to do healthy without all the “stuff.” But God. I lost connection with most the people I had connected with, felt lost in my health journey, all that I feared came with it. But I had peace about it. That’s Jesus for you. The day after I stepped back and canceled all my accounts and shakes and everything, He showed me Revelation Wellness in a random Facebook post in my feed. Wait, what? You can mix them?! Get healthy but do it with Jesus?! Dude.
So, I dug in and He met me. I found freedom from all the bondage I had been chained up in this lifelong journey. I realized that this body isn’t for me. It’s for His kingdom and I am a vessel to share His love and Word. The very first challenge I did with Revelation Wellness was the Clean Hearting Challenge and the thing that stung my heart was this question from Alisa, “If you went through this challenge, and gained 10 pounds but got closer to God, would it be worth it?”
I immediately had the feeling of panic at the thought of gaining back 10 pounds, even 20 or 30! My gut reaction to the question stung. And in that challenge, He worked that all out of me. I gained 10 pounds exactly. BUT….I felt free. I felt closer to Him than I had in years.
Since then He’s continued to show me how to do this journey with Him. He shows me how to keep my focus on Him and look through His eyes rather than my own. My eyes and heart can easily be deceived for sure. But He sees grace. He sees love and ability. He restored my marriage. He restored my view of healthy. He restored my heart to love myself.
Jesus is so much better than the obsession filled life we try to lead. His love isn’t empty promises of joy….IT IS JOY. And it’s free. You don’t have to work for it, wear a certain size or have 9% body fat. It’s absolutely free. He is so much better than hitting any number on a scale that leaves us still feeling empty. He is better than any relationship. He is better than the attention of any person on this earth. Jesus is just better.
In the comment below, share your “Jesus is better than ______!”
Valerie is a Revelation Wellness Instructor from Platoon 16. She loves home projects and heavy barbells and spending time with family and friends laughing. She lives in Topeka, Kansas along with her husband Darren, and three kids, Skyler, Peyton, and Logan. You can follow her on Instagram.
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Workout with us in this #wednesdayworkout! For more workouts like this, visit RevWell TV!
AMIA’S CARDIO DANCE – “PASSIONATE PRAISE”
This class is all cardio and all dance. Get ready to move to the beat and shake yourself free! (ALL LEVELS) (PSALM 28:7; NO EQUIPMENT)
34 Responses
Jesus is better than trying to fit in with others
Amen! So true.
Jesus is BETTER than everything !
Jesus is Best!.
Amen!
Valerie I love this post! Ditto I was in the same boat as a coach. Finding Revelation Wellness was a miracle!
We’re so glad you’re here Amy!
Thank you for this encouragememt!
Thank you for reading the blog, Michelle!
Jesus is better than my comfort
YES!
Thank you valeriE For sharIng your heart and Truth.
Thanks for reading the Revelation Wellness blog!
J#esusIsBetter
Unforgiveness
Amen!
Thanks for sharing! I have struggled with my weight and trying different plans and failing or beating myself up…if I didn’t lose or ate something that was not on the plan. Many years on the merry go round of lies, and shame. I want to get to the place that god is greater than my pants size.
We are trusting that God will get you to the point that you truly believe He is greater than your pants size! You are in the right place to walk on that journey with Him!
As I’m reading this, I’m just in awe how similar our stories are, eveN our nAmes. This was totally me and I am so thankful that God put Revelation Wellness in my lIfe! Jesus is better than any Bondage I had over food, my weight and my overall self image that was a detour to my path to becoming whole and holy, but so blessed that God Used this bondage to be my message to others. Looking forward to signing up for Instructor Training in the fall!
We can’t wait to meet you at Instructor Training! Thank you for sharing, Valerie!
Your blog post hit me square on! I cannot remember a time in my life when my weight was not an issue. my mom started me on diet pills in 3rd grade. she meant well, she had struggled with her weight all her life, she just didn’t want that to be my story too, but it was and is.
I have a friend who is a Rev Well Instructor, I have watched her change and grow as she has been involved with Revelation Wellness. Still, at 52 I have exercised, dieted, given up over and over again and still landed in exactly the same spot! Always the same spot! I saw the 31-day Weight Loss God’s Way Challenge on my friend’s Facebook page and felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to sign up, I told God “no” with all my reasonable arguments, but the Spirit kept nudging me to be obedient. I decided I had better do what God wanted (clearly I am working through some trust issues here, haha) so I signed up.
Now when I sign up, I commit, so I did what I was asked to do, I woke early every morning to read the daily emails, I followed the recommendations, I exercised more, etc, but the thing that I faithfully did that made all the difference was the Be Still & Be Loved meditations. God met me there, in those quiet moments and told me I am loved, that I need to love me (as I am) so I can love others. He showed me how my critical spirit toward myself had spilled over to a critical spirit toward others. He has taught me to be kind to me and in turn, I will be kind to others. I have always wanted to be seen as desirable, beautiful, sexy, worthy, you know, all the things….but God is teaching me that those things are so fleeting and I am looking through the wrong lens. I am his daughter, and no matter if I am 5, 15, 35, 75, 85 or 105, I am right where I am supposed to be if I am being obedient to treat my body (his temple) with respect, feed it nourishing foods, keep it moving, give it rest and trust him to manage the details of my waistline.
Just this morning, since the 31-day Challenge, God nudged me in the direction of the scales. I had not weighed myself since the first day of the challenge and even since had felt strongly that I was not supposed to, so I didn’t. this morning as I felt the nudge, I asked God out loud, “are you sure?” he affirmed in my spirit that I was good to go. Guess what? I am exactly…exactly…exactly where I was weight-wise as day 1 of the challenge. and God said to me, see, you are free and you trusted me and you didn’t gain anything, but you lost so much more than a few pounds, you lost your addiction to needing to be wanted, desired and you gained freedom that is yours to keep forever! Now go forward and be loved! (on a side note, as I was putting on my shoes I did mention that my belly was in the way, and if he was good with it, we should maybe make that a little smaller, but if not, I will just buy more slip-on shoes, haha)
Thank you Rev well! Your ministry matters!
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Ronna! The Lord is so good and we are so glad you are here with us at Revelation Wellness! Keep pressing into the Father and He will show you the way!
Jesus is Better than Size 6 Jeans!
Yes, Linda!!
Jesus is better than striving to reach a moving target.
Yes, so good, Kristi!
Gosh this is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing! Jesus is better than … everything! My health, my finances, my work, my … let it Be His 🙂
Yes, Kirsten!
JeSus is better than any number on the scale.
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yes!
In 1995, I was diagnosed with Fibromialgia. I was already overweight from harmone therapy treatment, trying to have children. I gained 15 pounds every round. Then I went through deep depression with the Fibro and gained more weight, putting me almost 100 pounds over what my weight should be according to the charts. I was already a follower of jesus, and it was with His help that I got off all the antidepressants and began to lose weight. While it has taken me years, and I still have more I could lose, my relationship with God, is the very source of life to me. I am new with Revelation wellness, but i am looking forward to learning more.
Thank you for sharing, Ramona! We are so glad you are here with Revelation Wellness. You are in the right place 🙂 Check out our website for at-home challenges and other resources!
Such a great post, Valerie. Thanks for sharing!
Jesus is better than being someone that I am not!
Jesus (the Creator) is greater than creation!
Amen!