The Divine Crash

Shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday I found myself in constant knee pain, sudden snoring, and constant heartburn.  Then I was on a scale and realized that I had gained quite a bit of weight.  In the last year I had gained nearly 30 pounds.  Probably from a combination of sitting all day in class and sitting all night reading for class.  Not being sure what to do I investigated Weight Watchers.

However, for me this idea of having gained weight was not simply about looks, it was also a spiritual journey.  How could I stand up and preach about sacrifice and caring for others when I clearly have never missed a meal?  Later, I found out that my Annual Conference (of the UMC) sees this as a spiritual journey as well because it does not allow a pastor to be faithful, effective, or fruitful.

How can a pastor be faithful when they can’t read their Bible because they are busy eating? How can a pastor be effective if they can’t preach about health, sacrifice, endurance, etc…. without being a hypocrite?  Or how can a pastor be fruitful when you can’t play church softball or go fo a walk in your neighborhood because you can’t walk without pain, or you can’t go on a mission trip because you won’t fit in an airplane seat?

I have read that soon, my Annual Conference will be basing pastoral appointments on weight, so this is a big deal for them and me.  Now my weight could impact my family, my income, and my calling.

So, after Thanksgiving I started Weight Watchers.  I don’t go to meetings but I do keep track of my points online (and with my iPad) and so far I have lost 16 pounds.  It would have been more but Christmas is a very hard time to diet.

Already I am sleeping better, my knees hurt less, and my heartburn is totally gone.  However, it also improved my mood and my desire to pray more.  My end goal is to be down to my wedding weight which is about 30 pounds.

I understand that I will never be a small person, and that is okay with me.  I have no intention of trying to meet a healthy BMI of 200 pounds (I am 6’5″ and at 200 pounds I would look weird  and awkward) but I do want to be able to say food does not rule my life, Jesus does.

So then, what about you?  Is there something stopping you from doing what God has called you to do? No matter what it is, God will give you strength to overcome it……even if it is your weight.

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Pastoral Life by RevBT