Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Goals

For the past two years I've been fighting a battle to regain my health, not that I was that unhealthy before - at least by most people's standards. You see at almost 28 years old, I was overweight (technically obese by BMI standards, though I carried it well and few would have categorized me as such). I also had battled severe fatigue that doctors were not quite able to diagnose, but since fatigue can so easily be attributed to other sources, most people believed I just pushed myself too hard. That all changed on a summer day when I visited the doctor for what I was sure was a pulled stomach muscle only to find out what I thought was a sprain from rib to hip, was actually a dangerous infection in my intestines. Three days of a liquid diet, followed by thirty days of a restricted diet, started what has so far been a two year journey that will realistically continue my entire life.

At my heaviest weight, I never wanted to set a goal. The idea of having to lose 40+ pounds seemed impossible. But as my health issues forced weight loss, and the unspoken goal changed from needing to lose 40lbs to just 30lbs to now just having about ten pounds left, I am surprised at what having a goal has done for me:

1. It's made progress easier to track.
2. It's made long term goals seem more attainable.
3. It's made day to day decisions easier for the most part.

So, if I as a Christian have wild aspirations that I fear verbalizing - simply out of fear of them - I am doing myself a disservice. If I want to memorize scripture, will it magically transfer into my brain? No, but I can commit to wanting this and then take the steps necessary to achieve it.

God help me set goals that You approve of, and then help me achieve them.