Relax, this isn’t a feminist post, but there is a definite element of sisterhood to it.
As I get older and my metabolism changes, it’s getting harder to maintain the weight I’d like. Combine that with what feels like a complete abandonment of any self-control I used to have in spades, and it’s a battle with the scale!
My focus today isn’t on any weight gain or loss itself, but on the self-control that must accompany any efforts along the way. That’s where I completely fall off the rails, time and time again.
Oh sure, I’ve prayed about this, I’ve viewed it as a spiritual battle, and I’ve held numerous debates about whether it’s even something worth fighting. I even enlisted an accountability partner who, “coincidentally,” also needed someone to keep her on track with her exercise goals.
We shared our Google docs showing the exercise and diet goals we each had, and we checked in on a fairly regular basis with each other. However, none of that kept me from going overboard, primarily with my chocolate candy bars. Yep, under “chocoholic” in the dictionary is my picture.
Recently, as I was bemoaning this struggle with Mrs. Accountability, she suggested that I write down everything I ate each day and send it to her. Yikes! But desperate times call for desperate measures!
So, I started another Google doc for her to see which included every. single. thing. I ate each day. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I couldn’t lie on this food log so what happened next was truly powerful, and helps me see an equally powerful biblical counterpart. Here’s how that played out.
Every time I was tempted to go beyond my allotted TWO Hershey bars for lunch and dinner, I would think about my friend and how I didn’t want to let her down. And, probably more honestly, I didn’t want her to know that I might actually eat SIX candy bars at that sitting. And instead of one spoonful of peanut butter for a snack, I might not be able to stop until after four.
I cannot properly describe the power and effectiveness of having someone “oversee” this part of my life that I had lost all control over.
In the seven days since this began, I have not cheated. If I had an extra treat in a meal, I would cut out my candy bars in the next. That has led to a weight loss of over 2 pounds in a week. That’s great, but the lesson behind it is what has me smiling up at God.
While a somewhat tarnished motivation is what started this journey (my reluctance to let her see how I really ate throughout the day), it ended with an eye-opening understanding of the power of holding each other accountable, and what that means in our daily walk with God.
While this friend doesn’t officially hold the title of accountability partner in that area, she is definitely someone I go to when I need to work through issues I’m struggling with. She is a great listener, she’s wise, she’s encouraging, and she’s not afraid to bring up honest truths to me.
How about you? Have you ever opened up your life so completely that someone knows every piece of it? I had that relationship with Dale, but without him, I needed a safe place like that within some of my friendships.
Maybe your spiritual accountability partner is your spouse, even if you’ve never labeled him/her as such. Or maybe you’re blessed with friends like mine who love you enough to be honest. Perhaps you’re thinking you need to enlist someone to be that for you.
I would strongly encourage you to foster that kind of relationship with someone close to you, and then see how God can work through that to help you grow in whatever areas you feel need some attention.
Ironically, the motivation that began quite pridefully, turned into a renewed level of self-control that I thought I’d forever lost.
But don’t forget, self-control is a fruit of the spirit so, as believers, we have that power living within us. We just so seldom tap into it, thinking it has to come from our own strength. God wants us to live a “fruitful” life, powered by his Holy Spirit.
And so often, he chooses to work through others in our lives. I’m grateful Mrs. Accountability stepped into that “good work” so beautifully.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)
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