Life is about weight.

A few nights ago, I crossed my arms across my shoulders before going to sleep and realized that my shoulders were thicker than before. Frantically, I began clasping other body parts. They were all thicker! I still wore the same clothing size, but the clothes were tight. I had gone from the clothes wearing me to me wearing the clothes.

The frightening thing about the weight gain is that I can’t put a date to it. I know our dog’s birthday. I know family members birthdays, our country’s birthday, the date of my marriage, the date of my last move – I even know the time of year when the swallows arrive and leave. I don’t know when I started putting on weight.

Weight is insidious and stealthy. It sneaks and creeps up on victims and overtakes them by utilizing the element of surprise.

Jesus knew about weight. Paul knew about weight. Paul said, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7:1) Jesus knew that the weight of sin can sneak up on anyone.

When God wrote the Bible for us, He wanted to be sure we knew about weight – how sneaky, dangerous, and life-threatening it is. Like sin. No alcoholic ever said, “I want to become an alcoholic.” No druggie ever said, “I want to be a druggie.” No ill person ever said, “I want to get sexually transmitted diseases.” No married couple ever said, “We got married just so we could get divorced.” No abusive parent ever said, “I wanted to have kids so I could release anger by beating them up.” Sin, like weight, takes on a life of its own and grows proportionately to how much we feed it.

The secret to living a joyful, productive and contented life in this world and celebrating eternity in the next world is staying slim. Outrun, outsmart, outdistance sin. Read the Bible, pray, invite Jesus into your heart, listen to His Holy Spirit when He speaks. Jesus won the victory over death and the grave. He gives us the power to win the victory over the weight of sin. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:56&57.

Both spiritual and physical health are vital to live well in this world.

I can’t put a date to when the weight arrived…but today is the right date for outrunning, outsmarting and outdistancing it!

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