Well, I thought I should check in and let you know the latest. Call me crazy, call me overly optimistic, call me fanatical, but I have decided to enter the Body for Life Challenge for 2008. That means I have 12 weeks (9 now) to get in the best shape of my life. Of course they give you guidelines and a diet and exercises, etc, but the motivation has got to come from me. Anyone who knows me well is shocked to hear this about me. I am quite a "go with the flow" sort of person, not an adventurer or a leader. But lately, I have seen how that attitude has gotten me in trouble where I am living my life as a reactive victim. When I took a step recently and said "NO" to someone I loved, I couldn't believe how empowered I felt. It's the example that someone gave of the cart God instructed the believer to pull. God put one rock in it and said, "Take it to the top of the mountain." Away went the Christian, happy to do his duty for God. After a while, a friend came along and asked if the Christian could carry his little bag of pebbles to the top also. The Christian agrees of course (how could he refuse?) and then goes on his way. A stranger asks for assistance with his small rock and the Christian agrees again. Things go along in a similar way until the Christian is only half-way up the mountain and suddenly can't go any further because of the weight of the load. He calls out to God and wants to know why God gave him so much to bear. God comes to him and starts throwing all the other stuff out of the cart. "THIS is the only rock I called you to carry. They must carry their loads; you must carry yours."

I know it's just a story and probably not completely accurate doctrinally, but I think it does show how we can allow ourselves to be burdened by other people's loads. Sometimes it is true that we refuse to bear the load we HAVE been given, but for me, it was taking on the pressure of others' burdens (often even if they hadn't asked!) that was loading me down. Since I realized I could say NO, I've been doing all kinds of things I never thought I could. I realized I have control over my body (from a human perspective) and so I should be doing something with it. Thus, the crazy idea to enter the B4L Challenge. Well, it isn't so crazy to enter, I guess, the crazy part is that... I intend to WIN!!! Why does that sound disgraceful for a Christian to say? And yet Paul says in I Cor. 9:

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

Is the spiritual realm the only area where we are to "run to win"? I think not. And so I am beating my body into submission (only a slight exaggeration) in order to win $25,000. It is already affecting my discipline in other areas. The kids are feeling it and so is my house!! I can't decide whether to post my "before" pictures or not. It's a little scary! Maybe I'll post them with my four week update. It doesn't seem so bad to show them to others as long as I can say it was past and now I look better!! Feel free to keep me accountable!

Hugs (but gently - my arms hurt!),

Kerrie

PS Ok, Jennifer talked me into it. Here are the pictures. I'm at 144 lb (I was 120 B.K. [before kids]) and am in a size 12 or an embarrassing 10. I have NO muscle tone, so I hope to lose 20 lbs of fat and gain 10 lb of muscle. I am still working on getting my body fat measured. I'll keep you posted.