Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Jesus is not a "diet" but a lifestyle





How many times have you heard this expression? “It’s not a diet but a lifestyle”. This is what a lot of people say when they are trying to lose weight and want you to think they have changed their eating habits. I thought about this a couple of weeks ago while preparing for my semi annual physical fitness test and weigh in. You see being in the Army I am required to maintain my weight and be able to pass the Army physical fitness test, which consist of running 2 miles, and doing pushups / sit-ups in an allotted time.

My training program for this may seem kind of extreme and risky, but what I have been doing for the past 6 years is waiting until a couple of weeks before the big test to start watching what I eat and exercising. And for those who know me well, know how I struggle with procrastination. And it never fails every time I start my program I wish I would have never stopped . Well that’s when the thought came to me. Sometimes I feel we do the same thing with our walk with Jesus. Sometimes we will only exercise with Jesus when we have a big test in our lives. And when the test is over we resort back to the same ole same. We will start out on fire for Jesus but after awhile the fire slowly dies down. Then we let other things come into our lives that bear no fruit and take up the time that we could use in our walk with Jesus.

I personally have tried to keep Jesus in my daily life but will admit it’s been a struggle staying motivated and focused. The good thing about my latest attempt is that I have my Brother Tony walking with me and keeping me encouraged and accountable. (Thanks bro!) I also have been sharing my ideals through blogs and fellowship with other Christians. So this time I am committed to making Jesus a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix or diet. My goal is to try to get in the word everyday and work on my prayer time. What works in your spiritual walk? Does the procrastination monkey stay on your back? Do you guys have any thoughts, ideals or suggestions? Peace and love…Chris

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Chris,
Great analogy - even on a weekly basis many of us struggle, getting fired up on Sunday but come Monday morning work and routine are pulling us off course.

I have been using a prayer notebook/journal for a few weeks now and find it really helps me to be more disciplined. Even with that I have missed a few nights.

Using your dieting analogy in reverse... it's not one big meal that got us out of shape, it took eating a little extra everyday that put the pounds on. We are not going to build our relationship with Christ by having one big moment and then moving on; it's going to take seeking him everyday consistently over a long period of time.

God bless,
-jim

Chris Barnette said...

Thanks Jim,


The prayer notebook sounds like a great ideal, I think I also need to dedicate a time for prayer. And I also agree it's the everyday snacking that puts on the pounds. I also think that a lot of us struggle with this subject, which could be why we have the daily Bibles and devotionals that help us manage our time and take in a little at a time.

Anonymous said...

Bro,

As someone who has struggled with both weight and my walk with God, I can definitely relate to what you are saying here. I appreciate the kind words in reference to me helping you out, but honestly, your faith and re-committment has really been a blessing and inspiration to me. Keep strong my Brother and allow me to tag along.

Love ya man,

Tony