Obesity, Sin, and Salvation

My wife and I have been on a health journey for the past 7 months and it has been a whirlwind. If you know me this is definitely something I have never been on in my life.  It's because diet culture and eating to exclusion has never been something I wanted to do.  I like my food and I enjoy it. 

Now this doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to lose weight or to be healthier.  It was that I didn’t like the methods that others used to achieve weight loss.  I thought I could do it my own way.  I had success before with exercise.  I would play sports like disc golf or pickup softball or basketball. I did feel better after doing these things, but I could never sustain it.

One day we were leaving Planet Fitness after taking showers and we passed by another vanlifer who asked me a question about my bike rack.  After that we went into a long conversation about building vans, then onto the gospel (I had to tell him about the love of Jesus!) and then into lunch for the day.  It was a pretty awesome time.  Vanlifers are so cool.  

That lunch changed Grace and I’s life forever.  This was no chance encounter.  This was a divine appointment.  God places people and things in our lives in order to make us better human beings.  He does this so that we can be more perfect image bearers for the world to see his glory.  This was one of those moments.  

First a little aside.

Sin is no laughing matter.  Like I said earlier it’s not as if I have not tried to lose weight, it has just been a crippling thorn in my side.  Other passions and desires that would cause men to stumble, God, by his grace, has granted me daily victory in these things with his power, but food and obesity was still a major challenge.  Oftentimes we judge others sin because we can easily see it; however, in some ways we do not see this epidemic as sin.  Obesity is a key contributor in diabetes, heart disease, and stroke which are among the leading causes of death in america.  We elevate the status of some sins and claim it’s because of the devastating effect it has on life in this world but how can we deny the facts concerning overeating. I had an inward struggle to rectify my life with Christ with the outward display of my physical body. The evidence was clear.

Now life is not without grace.  Even in the appearance of sin with obesity (and for that matter in other sins that are manifestly evident in life) it was not as if I was not striving for the goal of looking like Christ.  God was sanctifying me, moving me, motivating me to do and be who he has called me to be. So those who are battling with sin continue the fight as God will achieve his work in you.  And those who see others in the appearance of sin know that they may seem undaunted or unashamed but maybe they are striving for perfection and right now the weight (no pun intended) is just heavy to bear. Perhaps instead of judgmental eyes, we should help bear the load?  What that looks like, I don’t know. It’ll be each in each situation but I do know it must be done. 

Back to the point.

Exavior helped bear mine. At that lunch he discussed his true passion which is fitness.  And he asked if I ever thought I could lose the weight I had. I told him I don't think about it much (a lie haha). He said, "What if I told you you could eat whatever you want and still lose weight?” He then began to explain to me that this weight loss thing is just science.  It’s a math game. It's all about the numbers.  And because it computed in my brain, it made sense, it stuck with me.  I left that meeting, not wanting to start doing this new “diet” but it did leave me interested.  Grace (who truly bears with me in my struggles to make me a better man) began to encourage me as we discussed what Exavior had said during the lunch and eventually just decided to try it out.  Then my mind began to work and I designed some things that would help make this journey easier and more sustainable.  I knew if I were to do this, it would need to be forever.  And by God’s grace alone for the first time in my life I feel as if the goal is achievable.  I have no real signs or desires of turning back and the progress is continuing. An encounter like this only happens by the providence of God.  It is only by his hand that things fall together in such a way.  God moves and orchestrates all occurrences to achieve his purposes in our lives.  I am so thankful for meeting my friend who has saved the lives of Grace and I.  I write these things to encourage you to trust that God has a plan even when you feel you can’t make it. I write this also so you might know what seems like rebelion on the outside may be struggle in the unseen.  And finally I write this for those who struggle in sin whatever it may be to find help.  And if you struggle specifically in my area, reach out to Exavior @exaviorhunt18. Maybe he can help you and encourage you in making better choices so you might find peace.