On Sunday, September 26th, I was in my closet, lamenting as I put away clothes. "I have all these clothes, but I'm only fitting into 2 pairs of jeans and a couple tops. This is silly. I'm a joke." Every weekend, I would plan on paper how I was going to start eating well and moving more, and each week nothing changed. My weight had been solid at 208 for almost a year. Nothing was changing, but I kept pretending something would.
From the closet, exasperated, I asked God, "So what motivates me? What REALLY motivates me?!"
Slowly, but clearly, three answers came:
1) Money
2) Competition (mainly with myself)
3) Inspired projects where someone is tangibly helped - and it draws them closer to God.
By now I was pacing through my bedroom, smiling. I said, "Okay, so what can I do to COMBINE all three?"
Motivation dynamite was about to be lit.
Over the next few days, this plan was birthed:
For the 3 month span of October 1, 2010 to January 1, 2011, I would track my weight. I would find as many friends as I could to pledge $1 per pound, knowing that each dollar would be pure motivation to stay with a sensible eating & exercise plan. And the money? It would go to a worthwhile, Christian outreach serving widows and orphans worldwide: Compassion International.
Since October 1st, with the motivation of over 200 friends, I've melted off 26 pounds. Through reading two books, The End of Overeating by Dr. David A. Kessler and The New American Diet by Steve Perrine, I've stopped overeating. And the foods I do eat are now nutrient-dense lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. I've become very intentional about nurturing myself. And I've offered my body to God as a living sacrifice.
It has been pure, heavenly motivation knowing that each pound of fat is going to help change the life of a hungry child.
Here is why you are reading this.
There is a project that we could make happen together through Compassion International that would equate to you and I outliving our lives.
"Cramped, make-shift kitchens and a lack of ventilation make it difficult to feed 630 children attending four Child Development Centers in India. Compassion’s four church partners are each seeking to build proper kitchen infrastructures, with storage, to better service the children in their care. Once a day, at four Child Development Centers in India, 630 children eat a balanced, healthy meal. Without this daily meal, these children would not have any nutritious food in their stomachs."
It is the transference of health. By January 1st, I'm reaching to be within the range of my healthy BMI at 170lbs. That would be 38 pounds total. My fat and your compassion would be used to fund an ongoing project that would serve poor children and reach out to their families.
Let's outlive our lives together!
It would be a one-time gift somewhere between $30 and $38. If you want to help, just click on this link that will take you to the Facebook page where others have said "Yes, I wan to be on Team Outlive!" By joining this Facebook group, you're saying that in January, you'll make a gift to Compassion International.
Thank you for considering giving a gift to motivate and, more importantly, to make a difference.
As long as we are alive, we can together live out Jesus' words from Matthew 5:14-16 in the Message Bible:
"You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."
Let's Outlive!
Lisa Williams
godsradiogirl.com
