Fatty, Fatty 2 by 4

Have you ever resigned yourself to something?

You know... resigned. Given up, conceded defeat, accepted that something undesirable could not be avoided?

I have. In quite a few things, actually.
I misunderstood what I was doing and while I thought I was merely being a realist, I was, in fact, resigning myself to a worse fate.

It happens with habits a lot.
I often resign myself to the fact that I'll never change certain things. One of my more recent ones was biting my nails. I've literally chewed on my fingernails for the greater majority of my life, thinking it would be an impossibility to ever maintain anything other than my stubby, gnawed-on nails. One day I decided to stop. For whatever reason, unlike any other time before, the drive to stop became greater than my desire to chew. Success.

Was it really that easy? Kind of.

It happened even more recently with my weight.
I had gotten to the point in life where I had resigned myself to the fact that I was only going to gain weight from here on out. It wouldn't matter what diet I did, how much I exercised, how much I cared... my size would only increase. It seemed inevitable.

It wasn't until my my 'big' pants starting fitting tighter, that I realized that one of two things needed to happen: I either needed to lose weight or buy new clothes. The former seemed cheaper. For whatever reason, unlike any other time before, the desire to lose weight became greater than my desire to eat uncontrollable amounts of food. Success.

Was it really that easy? Kind of.

While these are very external, shallow things, it's made me realize how much we settle for less than what we truly hope for. It's made me realize that more is attainable through self-discipline and self-control. It's made me realize the value of allowing ourselves to hope for better than what we've resigned ourselves to, to make changes, and to watch dreams become reality.

This mentality has extended into other areas of life that I formerly felt defeated in. It's extended to relationships, to faith, to future plans: the impossible seems more realistic than ever before. I don't have to resign myself to anything anymore. There truly is hope, because I've now experienced it in a way I never have before.

I mostly just want to encourage you that it can happen for you, too. That there really is a reason to hope. There is a chance that things can be different. You don't have to resign yourself to worse fate than what you desire. You can change. You can be different. The seemingly impossible is more attainable than you might ever imagine!

I don't want to carry the tune of some motivational speaker that drones on with the 'you can do it' chant of self-help. I just need you to know that whatever 'it' is for you doesn't have to be that way. Whether it's an addiction, or hopelessness, or an eating disorder, or relational trauma, or identity struggles...there's this balance between being truly okay with who we are at the core, but then still striving for the better.

I think, for the first time in a long time, I just feel content with who I really am...but, I'm still chasing dreams and goals--knowing that those aren't the things that define me, but they're still good. There's a joy to be found that wasn't there before. There's a greater trust in a God who is so faithful to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... and I want to hold Him to it.

So- don't resign yourself to anything.
You can do more than you think.
Be determined.
Seek self-discipline and self-control. Pray fervently that that fruit of the Spirit would captivate you as you move forward in a world of hope and transformation.

It exists.
I promise.

* * *

Submit Your Stories/Questions/Struggles Here

Your entries will remain anonymous