Eyes Wide Open

Our staff at church is doing a “Biggest Loser/Biggest Exerciser” contest in hopes of promoting good health and physical fitness.

My doctor told me over a year ago that he would like to see me lost at least 40 lbs. While I was considering the impossibility of such a feat, he proceeded to tell me, “If I can do it, so can you.” “Do what?” I asked. “Lose 40 pounds.”

In my head I’m thinking THERE’S NO WAY I CAN DO THIS.

Then he dropped the sentence I will never forget: “I used to be your size. But now I’m 40 pounds lighter. I’m a doctor, just as busy as you, and I have two small children.”

There went all the excuses I was hoping to use in my defense.

Gone.

So…we are two weeks into our contest and I’m down 9 pound. Two words: diet and exercise (surprise, surprise). Unfortunately, it is not the first 20 I think will be difficult, it is the last 20. Now that this is on the blog, it makes me even more accountable to see this thing through.

My motivation? Three-fold:
1. Stewardship: God gave me the gift of life and this physical body. How I treat it reflects my gratitude for this most incredible gift.
2. My wife and children: Again, these are amazing gifts. I look forward to sharing a full life with them, and encouraging my kids to do Deuteronomy 6:5 (You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.)
3. The prize! I’m a sucker for competition. I’m hoping the prize is a large gift certificate that will enable me to by new clothing.

Finally, remember that hole in my ear-drum? Well, it never quite healed. So today I had a tympanoplasty. The ENT doc had me knocked out, cut a piece of tissue from my head behind my ear, and grafted it over the hole in the ear-drum. This should do the trick Besides a small amount of pain, I’m feelin’ pretty good!