Reaching Your Goals and Drawing Close to God While Getting Healthy

Philippians 4:20: Now unto our God and Father
be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This is my before and after picture after losing 145 pounds by God's grace.  I'm finding it easier to chase after the dreams God has put in my heart since I've reached my healthy BMI range. Anyone else who has a lot of weight to lose, please be encouraged, stay strict on your diet plan, and you can have great results! I lost 145 lbs in 19 months.  The end result is worth every single sacrifice- I promise!  

In the before picture I had just been crying  from how much I hated being obese, and I was battling depression, self-image issues, knee problems, back problems, stomach problems, and plantar fasciitis.  In the after picture I was just about to walk into my interview to become a licensed minister. I passed the interview and my license will arrive in the mail any time. I am so excited to have reached another of my goals by becoming a licensed minister.  Praise God. (I went to Global University in the program called the Berean School of the Bible if anyone has thought about going to Bible school online and is looking for an affordable, Biblical program.)  Since losing weight I am also working toward my dream of becoming an author by working on writing two books (one is a devotional about drawing close to God and the other is a book about my weight loss journey.)  Let's draw closer to God and chase after our goals today!  

This morning I received an email from a beautiful lady about the spiritual refinement and closeness with God she finds when honoring the Lord with her health, and she was kind enough to give me permission to share this quote from her email:  "I find myself so much more open to the spirit of God when I am honoring my physical body by eating right and am at a healthy weight.  And it is a striking difference.  I feel love, joy and peace much more abundantly and I praise God naturally.  I also feel more love for others. The only word that comes to mind when I try to describe it is a spiritual refinement - being more connected with my own spirit, and thereby God's."

I'm thankful for this sweet lady, and for her honesty. Isn't it true that it is easier to draw close to God and to reach our goals when we are making healthy choices for our bodies?  If you have found this to be true in your own life, please share about it in the comments or send me an email. 

What's your next big goal?  Feel free to share it in the comments or email  me about it at mrs.marlene.bishop@gmail.com.