It ain't easy losing weight but gives us alot of life lessons....

There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain; every and all change requires and involves a loss of some kind.

This week I embark on this journey of weight loss. I have gotten me a personal trainer for six-weeks, and I am realizing something in a profound way; change. Yes, change, growth this thing is hard, difficult, challenging, uncomfortable, and makes you look at things differently. I am sore in places I had not thought of using, or even known was an issue for me. Then I realize, although I knew theoretically, that change is not easy and achieving the thing we say, we desire is quite arduous, pushing your buttons, and time-consuming task; I never really look at it from others perspectives who have lived the same way, never had their views challenged, or had to diverse their way of doing things to encompass others. I get it but I see so many people fight and struggle with holding on for dear life to their way of doing things, at all cost. Never stopping to see that just maybe, I am the one not bending. I read this somewhere, and believe it wholeheartedly – what we cannot grasp, we usually scorn and fight against because it does not fit our way of appropriate, ethical, professional, right, true, and genuine. So, I began to think about life and all the lofty and not so lofty goals we set for ourselves and expectations to meet, the things we declare, dream about, desire, say we want, and plan for, and how we never seem to get there or are frustrate, angry about during the course of achieving. It dawn on it me, it takes you out of your comfort-zone of what you know, and are familiar with doing and challenges your perspective. You have to re-examine how you see life, and the lens you have seen life through after 20, 30, 40 50, 60, etc years, and it is none too pleasant. And like those muscles I have never worked out before, it hurts, it makes moving difficult, and when I find a good position where nothing hurts, I do not want to move. See, I have worked out and have had pretty good results but have had some struggles recently as I have aged and stresses are mounting around, I realized I needed to change things up a bit. So, I did not fancy myself a novice but a knowledgeable person when it came to weights and working out. I am finding out, not so much. I am doing things that are out of my league, way out of my comfort zone, making me look silly, and moving in awkward ways, and at times, I think, I look down-right stupid because everyone is looking at what I am doing. I just want to throw in the towel. But I am not going to lie, I did not want to do it but yet, I am here to learn; I just grin and bear it. I remember what I said I wanted, and believed this is going to get me there. I know that resisting and being angry will only make it more difficult, so I release and settle into the place of unknown. This is where, I began to wondering about change in life, and how the muscles in my body paralleled the resistance and struggle we, mankind, has with the change and growth. We all want to be right, the best, the smartest, the sharpest, the richest, etc, but no one really think of the fact one of the ways to get there is release what we have – if you want to have what you never have, you have to do what you have never done – and it goes for everything in life. Dropping our walls of resistance to difference coming our way, or releasing the fear of what it make me look like, and just seeking, absorbing from all to become the thing we seek.

See we all want to believe we are pretty comfortable with self, or would like to believe we have an expansive perspective and we able to be disagree without being disagreeable. The problem is we are not. I can tell you, not seeing the trainer today for me would be great but then I would not achieve the goal I declared and I would miss out on learning to better myself. So, I challenge everyone to stop and think of what is troubling you, and check to see if you are standing in your own way because of your insecurities and fears. Enlighten and help come in the unexpected packages, if we are willing to let go of the defense, fences, walls, and fears…”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5) – this requires faith…Heb. 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.