What You Gain

Losing weight. Spending less time watching TV. Fasting. Complaining less. These were all things I scribbled down as goals for this year. But if you notice- the focus is on what is being lost or sacrificed. Losing weight means you have to give up foods you like and give up time to exercise. Less TV means that you don't get to watch all the TV you'd really like to, and you have to develop other interests. Fasting means you have to deprive yourself of some kind of pleasure, whether it be food or otherwise. Less complaining means that you have to restrain yourself from saying the things you'd really like to say.

It just seems like so much sacrifice when you look at it like that. It feels like you're depriving yourself of so many enjoyable activities and experiences.

God really slapped me across the face with a shift of perspective this year. And He confirmed it through my Dad's sermon the very next Sunday. Yes, there are many sacrifices in life. And often times, there is a lot of loss involved in gain. But if we focus on what we are losing, then we will be more apt to think about those things and to give in to the temptation to keep doing them. It's like a smoker telling himself, "Don't smoke. Don't smoke. Don't smoke." Then he's thinking about smoking, and before he knows it, he has lit his next cigarette.

It's not about losing weight; it's about gaining a healthy lifestyle and feeling good about myself. And if I become lighter in the process, awesome. It's not about depriving myself of TV; it's about filling my life with fun activities that enrich my life. It's not about "fasting" per say; it's about spending quality time with God that I would normally be spending doing something else, such as eating or scrolling through Facebook. And it's not about complaining less; it's about choosing to speak positive, uplifting words into the lives of others.

So simple, but so profound. And isn't this lesson so in tune with Who God is. God has blessings to give us, not pleasures to take away from us. It's important to remember that the blessings far, far outweigh the sacrifices. Every time.