Day 27: Lose IT!

I wanted to share a bit more about Danny Cahill and some of the motivating truths he learned on The Biggest Loser.

Danny talked about one specific challenge they were given on an episode: to dig a treasure chest out of the sand. Danny thought it would be a piece of cake, but then realized as he shoveled the sand away for hours, sand continued to fall back into the hole he was creating. He didn't see much progress at all, but he kept on. Eventually, he dug out the chest. He said it was a lot like his weight loss journey. To most people, losing 20 pounds is a big feat and is noticeable. But when he lost his first 20 lbs, he looked at himself in the mirror and saw the exact same person, nothing had changed! But he didn't give up simply because he didn't see results, and those were the first 20 lbs of 200 more to follow. This story encouraged me to stay motivated, to keep digging, to keep pursuing even when I don't see results or my circumstances are discouraging. The Bible says--we will reap fruit of our labors!

Danny also talked about two essential things to lose to succeed on any journey. First, lose your regrets. Satan loves to torment with regrets of our past mistakes--and that keeps us chained to the past. Remember that God has the power to take what satan has meant to harm you with and turn it into good, so it is necessary to make a conscious effort to ditch the weighty baggage of the past.

Secondly, lose the lies! Don't believe the lies your mind will tell you. Satan loves to rationalize our minds into belittling issues in our lives that need to be addressed. He knows that if we face the truth about an area that needs improvement, that will take us one step closer to walking in the destiny God has for us. Instead, satan feeds us lies to believe. In Danny's case it was "you're not that fat, you've already tried your hardest...might as well give up, nothing will change no matter how hard you try, you're a good dad at least..." If you want an honest opinion about your life, ask God.

Lastly, on any quest you're on--keep God your God! Don't let the chase or the challenge become a consuming focus and priority--maintain balance. And when you want to quit, remember your purpose for starting and the goodness God has promised you that awaits the struggles. If you know why you are doing something, you can endure just about anything to get there.