Have you ever felt stuck in a rut or even worse – in a pit?
One of my favorite poems that describes what it’s like to fall into a pit is ‘An Autobiography in 5 Chapters by Portia Nelson.’
It is short but packs a punch.
Once you read it, I know you’ll relate to it. I did!
The poem is below:
Note: If you are unable to see the article content, here it is in PDF form.
Chapter 1
“I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes me a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in. It’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.”
****
Although I love this poem’s simplicity, I would change one word in it if I could; I would replace “fault” with “responsibility.” After all, with responsibility comes hope that you can get out of the pit with the Lord’s help!
So, which Chapter are you living in right now?
Many people get stuck living out Chapters 2 or 3. They keep falling into the same old pits.
We all fall into pits in life at times. That is not the problem.
The problem is that we don’t get out!
Once we recognize we are in a pit, we are responsible for seeking the way out – and taking it.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if someone threw you into the pit (like Joseph in Genesis 37) or if you put yourself into the pit.
What matters is that make up your mind to get out. Why?
Because you don’t belong there.
Unfortunately, some try to make the pit their home. They believe the lie that they are meant to live in the pits. So they decide to settle and get comfortable.
But that is not the best God has for you.
God never intended for His people to live in dark pits:
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12).”
And in another place, He says:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).”
Our purpose as Believers in Christ is to serve as a light to others.
So if one of us chooses to live in darkness, then the kingdom is dim in that specific place, affecting those who reside near it.
So what are some steps to take to get out of a pit?
1. Never get comfortable in a pit.
As God’s child, your place is as a “city on a hill,” a place where His glory in you is clearly seen.
You are not meant to live in a pit.
However, you will remain there unless you can see where you are meant to be.
Put your mental focus on how to get out of the pit rather than how to get comfortable in it.
To get out, you must want to get out.
2. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to get out.
When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live in you as a Helper (see John 14:26). He is the ultimate source of wisdom, strength, and power in a Believer’s life.
If you do not know how to get out of your particular pit, then ask Him.
Many times, the problem isn’t that we don’t know the answer for how to get out of the pit, it’s that we don’t like the answer!
So we don’t do what He says because we don’t like it.
However, freedom is on the other side of the answer and that fact won’t change.
3. Identify mental resistance to getting out.
I read a story once about a man who negotiated freedom for 2 women caught up in prostitution. He paid the price for their freedom.
Yet when it was time to go, one of the women ran back into the place of her bondage because she forgot her cell phone!
She refused to leave without it.
If you are resisting getting out of the pit, then ask the Lord to show you the source of your resistance so you confront it. You cannot conquer what you will not confront.
4. Take the first step out.
Once the way out is revealed, fear or overwhelm may try to convince you that it is safer to stay in the pit.
Once again, remind yourself that the pit is not your home.
Some people may not leave the pit unless they can see the entire path out first.
However, you don’t need to see the entire path to get moving; You just need to be faithful, stand up, and take the first step you do see.
Once you stand up, you can see more than you could just sitting there.
5. Get assistance from someone who has found the way out.
In our culture, we celebrate an independent, “go it alone,” “I did it my way” attitude.
But that is not God’s way.
God’s way is that we live in interdependence with other Believers.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 says:
“For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:10
We have a support group in the Take Back Your Temple program because we recognize that we all fall sometimes.
To make progress, we need others who can encourage us and assist us in getting back up.
Remember this freeing mindset: “This pit is not my home.”
Refuse to make living in pits your normal way of life.
Take the place that God has prepared for you:
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)”
Get out of that pit and proclaim His praise!
By the way, please share in the article comments about which “chapter” from the poem you are in right now. I’d love to hear about it.
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Thats a great story and reflection. I find myself in Chapter 3–step in the hole and say “whoa-don’t want to go there” and get back on the pack. Thanks for the inspiration.
You are welcome, Beth! It is great that you face the truth, get out, and back on track rather than live in denial. Praising God with you for the transformation!
Wow ty for this story, I’m between 3 and 4 sometimes I don’t see it. And sometimes I have the strength to walk around it.
Thank you for your feedback, Renee. We go through different seasons, which can require new knowledge or skills to navigate through it. But praise God, He meets our needs whatever season we are in!
I lost 25 pounds and found myself in a pit. I won’t get back on the scale until I get out. Thank you for your message. It really brings comfort.
I am glad to hear that, Bianca – Just remember that a pit is not your home. Your home is heavenly places in Christ so refuse to accept less than God’s best 🙂
I’m in Chapter 3. It’s my fault. The problem is I don’t get out immediately. I look up and I am exhausted at getting out again before I even start. Thank you for the poem. It’s an easy reminder that we can get out and stay out.
Hi Cathy – I appreciate your feedback. The one thing I would change about the poem is the word “fault.” I would have used “responsibility” because with that comes hope of finding the way out with God’s help!
Good morning:
I am at the “ My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.” I am doing that through the Renewing Your Mind Challenge. Thank you Kim and Family! Amen
Glad to have you with us, Karen – awareness and taking responsibility are the first steps of change. With a teachable Spirit and God’s help, we can live in freedom and obtain His best for us!
Making a mistake, we can learn from it. Making the same mistake twice, means we are operating on auto pilot instead of thinking things through. Making a choice to do something different and not remain in the pit is always the best way.
Amen, Karen – I agree. We are not meant to live in pits!
Praise only to God, I am in stage 4+. I desperately asked for his help, and he lifted me out of my pit Haven’t craved a single dessert since. It is so wonderful. I’m trying to cling to Christ and not counting calories for the first time in 57 years.
Praising God with you, Barbara – the Lord gives us power to do what we can’t by ourselves.
I’ve been walking down this sidewalk a long time. I guess I’m on Chap. 3. Im asking the HS to show me what my source of resistance is. Thanks for never giving up on us.
I praise the Lord He never gives up on us. He has begun a good work in us and has promised to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 1:6). That is why we shouldn’t be so quick to give up on ourselves because the Lord never does!
I’m in number 2, we fall down but we get back up. Thank for this what a great reminder. I’m to keep my focus on God.
Amen, Renee – it’s important to remind ourselves that the pit is NOT our home as children of God so that we don’t get comfortable in them. In fact, Psalm 40:1-3 tells us how the Lord takes us out of the pit:
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.”
Amen, and so it is!
I believe I go between chapter 2 and 3. I do not want to be in this pit anymore but it seems like the pain swallows me whole. Some days I can get out and feel joy, many times in the same day that pit comes for me, or so it seems, and alters the day. Please pray for me. God has told me He has plans for me to be a counselor and the pain is part of my purpose but I am ready to be that light on a hill. I want my first love and joy back.
You have my prayers, Stephanie that the Lord fulfill His promise in Psalm 147:3 to you: “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” Here was the Messiah’s mission statement from Isaiah 61:1-3; I pray you mediate on the promise and allow the Lord to birth a new vision of your future – healthy, healed, and whole!
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
The pit is a normal way of life for me.
Wow, Rosanne. You mentioned the pit is a normal way of life for you. The word “normal” is defined as “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.” Obviously as an adult, you get to choose how you want to live. This article may provide insight into what it really means to make darkness the standard: https://takebackyourtemple.com/darkness-closest-friend/
The Lord’s standard for His people is found in Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The pit isn’t a place of prosperity, hope, or a bright future.
God’s will for His people is also in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
I pray that the Lord’s word become a reality in your life and you will decide that you are done settling for the darkness of pits: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (John 8:12).”
Well received awesome article]!!
Glad to hear that, Rosalind!
I am Chapter 3 of the poem. Bad “habits” are strongholds.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the bondage breaker!
I have been reading some of your TBYT stuff. It is good. I just read that poem about the pit. I have started to pray, asking God to show me if I am resisting getting out of that pit and or why and how I can conquer it.
I think that is a wise prayer, Carrie! After all, our Father didn’t design His children to live in darkness (pits), but in the light of Christ.
I am agreeing with you that the Lord will provide the wisdom you are seeking according to His promise in James 1:5-8.
Chapter 3
Now that you’ve identified where you are, Mary, you see that you can move up to the next level with God’s help 🙂
I’m in the first chapter. Stuck in the pit
Now you know how to get out, Gwenna!
Thank you for your obedience! I’m free in Jesus name
Amen, Tee – I agree!
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. I need all the help I can get right now. It seems like I am back in chapter three. I’ve started on a new hormone blocker pill to help prevent recurrence of breast cancer. The pill can cause weight gain and I’ve been struggling again with food cravings and wanting to overeat. I know it is being triggered by this pill. Feel like I am starting over again. Ive been doing well with my food and haven’t gone to sugar or white flour but its starting to get into my head.
Hi Jolie – be encouraged! While we may have challenges, we can face EVERY challenge with God’s help. May He continue to strengthen you on this journey and give you wisdom to make wise decisions for your healing every day 🙂
Thank you this message! So much wisdom and helps move me into the right mindset and direction!! Blessings!
You are welcome, Karen – I am glad this message spoke to you. Now, go walk in your blessings 🙂
Hey Kimberly,
Thank you so much for sharing my “autobiography” in the form of the poem listed above. I am at the place in my life that I truly want to make the necessary changes to quit bingeing and lose the rest of the weight that I need. I decided to make two food rules to help me on this journey, which was to eat three meals per day and abstain from refined sugar products. I also have decided to make myself accountable to someone, in order to keep my life free of my destructive eating patterns. The last thing that I am doing is to start identifying the lies that my brain is telling me that are causing me to overeat. I do it in writing. I have realized that ACTION is the only way that I will be able to overcome this overeating that is causing me so much pain and suffering.
Thank you for your articles. They have been so helpful. God bless, Janet
Fantastic, Janet! You know the enemy wants to keep us in bondage to destructive, painful habits. In that way, we are under his feet. But the Lord created us to be the head, not the tail; above only and not beneath. May He continue to bless you as you take those steps to take care of HIS temple. I appreciate your kind words about the articles. I praise God for the opportunity to speak into others lives through them!
Love your 2 rules. Gonna try them too.
Hi Kimberly I’ve been in all of those pits. I think I’m back in 3 without the getting out immediately. That’s the part that gets me. I’m so frustrated and ashamed of myself. I lack serious daily commitment to get back on track.
Thanks for all the encouraging mails, I do read them but seldom comment….I don’t communicate well/easily with the internet. I only have a phone and typing with one finger is annoying and time consuming. Could this be another excuse of mine? I don’t know
Hi Anita – I appreciate your comment. Sometimes it is easy to get comfortable in pits. And it does take effort to get out and live in freedom because with freedom comes responsibility. Only you can decide how you want to live and if it is worth the effort to live differently. You may also want to check this out to get a new perspective: When Darkness is your Closest Friend. But as I said in the article, it is not God’s best for you to live in pits. Through Him, you have the power to get free and stay free.
I identified with chapter 3 & 4. Feel I am bouncing back and forth between the two chapters. I am owning up to my part rather than blaming situations or others. I gained 100 pounds when my husband & I moved back to the area where we grew up 20 years ago. Trying to understand why I packed on the weight is of itself a journey. I appreciate your life application of the scriptures. Enjoyed the different perspectives on Eve & Esau’s story. Are there additional biblical food stories we can learn from? God bless you Kimberly. Ruby
Hi Ruby – I am so glad that you found this helpful and are seeking the Lord in your healing journey! Here is another Biblical story around food. This one is called, “Graves of Craving:” https://takebackyourtemple.com/hunger-vs-craving-graves-of-craving-bible-study/
You might also enjoy this Bible study: “A Woman with Issues”
https://takebackyourtemple.com/a-woman-with-issues-bible-study/
Thank you thank you for this article it could t have arrived at a better time . I am truly in a pit at this moment and I hate it !!!!!!!
The scriptures you quoted were so encouraging and I know without a doubt that I gave a choice to make about my journey with food and the hold it has on me .
You and the articles you write are such an encouragement to me but in my head I know I have to change and get out of the Pitt but it is so so hard . I know too that this is not how God wants me to live
Hi Mary – yes, the Lord wants us to experience freedom in Him! I pray that you embrace each day as you pursue the purpose the Lord has for you – which does not involve living in a pit 🙂
Thank you so much for following God to help others. Your words are so encouraging. I am mostly in chapter 3. I know what the problem is but too often I allow Satan to take over my thoughts. I am thankful for your ministry and my loving Christian husband who helps me to avoid the pits in my life. God is Awesome!!
Hi Sharon – Awesome is the first step to change and I pray that this encouragement will help you remain out of pits. As a child of God, your place is as the head and not the tail – above and not beneath. Life is too short to live in a pit.
May the Lord bless you as you embrace freedom in Him!
#2 and #3 are where I find myself. I know better but still do emotional eating.
Hi Pamela – thank you for your comment! When you say that you know better but you still eat emotionally, then that means you may know LOGICALLY that emotional eating is not good, but emotionally you believe eating this way is necessary for you to get through the day.
What you believe is necessary to get you through the day is going to win.
The major question to ask yourself is, do you want to change or believe you can change? I recommend you check this out because you need clarity with that question: https://takebackyourtemple.com/do-you-have-the-faith-to-change-quiz-weight-loss-blog/
Just read your article, it’s so clear where I am!! However, I do not know how to move forward.
I am a voice hearer and it is too confusing for me to listen for a literal voice.
In addition, I’ve struggled with reading the bible and so went on to read other material. Theres so much info about contradictions that I couldn’t deny.
I’m not sure where Jesus is in relation to me.
I know this is more than your article talks about,. I dont know one person who knows my story from start to finish who has come along side me for that long.
All I know is that I never felt really accepted at church, and I’m not sure i can accept all of the bible, although i recognise that some peoples ‘walk’ and communication seems enlightened and has more understanding.
Hi Seeker – The first thing to move forward is to know that God loves you and has a great plan for your life. The way to have a relationship with God is through Jesus Christ. I recommend that you check this article about knowing God personally: https://www.everystudent.com/features/know-God.html. God is not the author of confusion, so I pray that the Lord remove confusion from your mind and reveal Himself unmistakably to you. He will do it!
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalms 40:1-2
Amen, Flo!
Thank you so much for this article, so powerful and eye opener. I’m in definitely in chapter 3, although sometimes “I don’t get out of that pit immediately”, as at times, I still find it easier and more comforting to stay in there. But prayer is key. I believe change is possible and I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to help me not only to get out of that pit, but also to avoid that hole when I am next confronted with a choice. And my faith tells me that one day I will walk down a different street, because our God is able to do that and make me walk in freedom! In faith I receive his promises and I rejoice in what he will do in my life.
Thank you for your support and faithfulness to God’s calling in your life. God bless you abundantly.
I am agreeing with you in prayer about that Flo – may that prayer come to pass for us all – every day!
I am taking back my temple in the name of God. Tired of feeling depressed about school and my kids constant low performance .
Praise God, Nadine! May the Lord perfect everything that concerns you according to His word!
Kim
Absolutely perfect timing for me. I’m chapter 2 all the way.
Thanks for your comment, Lisa – now you know you can advance beyond that with God’s help 🙂
I am interested in knowing more
Thankyou
Hi Jeannie – To learn more about the Take Back Your Temple Christian Weight Loss program, please visit https://takebackyourtemple.com/program. God bless you!
Good Morning,
Very powerful article and what is ironic is that this article came right on time. For me, being stuck in the pit was the pit of my mind. For years, I suffered from low self esteem, I was afraid to get too haughty or proud. I also allowed discouragement from others, failures, and fear get in the way until the HOLY SPIRIT revealed to me that these things were holding me back. I pray to grow in confidence yet remain humble. Excellent article and GOD bless.
Fantastic Taylor – it is so freeing when you stop agreeing with the enemy’s lies and start agreeing with God’s truth!
Thank you, now I know, I want to share this with my church and my children who are grown and going through there own pits, Thank you so very much!!!
Fantastic, Sherri – may the Lord bless you in your effort to help set captives free 🙂
I’m in chapter 3… this was so encouraging… thank you so very much
Glad you found it helpful, Delores!
Thanks for this beautiful piece, I find it very useful to help someone who was in a pit
Awesome – thank you for your comment!
Hello Kim
Thanks for sharing, This is powerful. I found myself at chapters 3 &4. I walk down the same street I know there’s a hole I still fall in but I immediately get out and then other times I WALK AROUND IT.
MEANING for me “daily I must stay alert and aware” because the hole is always there but I must remain conscious of it & choose not to go there!
Thanks so much for help making this journey practical
Kim Walker
I am in chapter 3. With my marriage specifically but relationships in general I guess.
I am in chapter 4 this morning. God is showing me through your words and my devotionals today that there is more to life than sitting in a pit feeling sorry for myself. He has called me to more than that! I need to stop believing the lie that there is something I need in the pit and that the pit is better than what God has called me to! Thank you Kimberly for your words!!
I was tried of falling in the pit with my food choices. I took advantage of the sugar challenge in Jan. It helped me to make a decision to stay away from sugar, cookies, ice cream, candy bars. I chose to get out of ch 1-3 and now I am working through ch4 of the poem. It can still be a struggle some days but then I look at how much better I feel. We are all a work in progress. Like many others in TBYT I agree that the Lord has given us a Godly coach in Kim Taylor and Godly women in our grp that understand our struggles.
Praising God with you for the breakthrough, Susan. He is faithful!
Praise God I’m past ch 1,2. Learning to walk by grace through 3,4, looking forward to ch 5 🙂
Amen! Agreeing with you for that chapter 🙂
Chapter 3. I just spent month at my daughter’s / road trip and I fell right back in to my old habits of overeating sugar. I’m not going to stay in the pit! Thank you for your encouragement!
You are welcome, Tracie! It happens and I am glad you are getting out of the pit!
Before I read any further, I am literally in chapter 2.5 (I am between chapters 2 and 3) but as soon as I read chapter 5 ? I cannot wait until I am in and stay rooted in chapter 5. It is all the difference from captivity to freedom.
In Jesus’ name, I will get to chapter 5 and no longer revisit chapters 1 through 4.
I love that poem! On any given day, I’m between chapters 3, 4, & almost 5. My will & anxiety throw me back to 3, but by the grace of God & the power in His word, I am more in 4 approaching 5! Thank you for your words of encouragement!
You are welcome, Sharie – all glory to God!
Thank you! This was just what I needed to read today to find hope. I am stuck in Chapter 2 and shift into 3 I know it’s my fault, but I am not doing all I can to get out of the pit.
No worries, Danielle! Now that you know, you can start a new chapter for yourself with God’s help!
4. Someday it will be 5.
I am in Chapter 3 except I haven’t got out of the pit immediately. I know it is me, I know it is habit and I know I need to get out quick or I will put more weight back on. From Aug to Dec of last year I lost 50 lbs. From Jan to now of this year I have put approx 10 back on I fight for a couple days and bring it down a few pounds and then I slip and put that back on. I am struggling to gain the motivation and momentum back and I see myself slipping backwards into those destructive thoughts and habits. I am discouraged, annoyed with myself and fearful. I have approx 90-100 more I should lose. No where close to my goal but was doing OK. Let Christmas and holidays and work exhaustion be an excuse for awhile but now have no excuse. I know it is a battle in my mind but I am so scared I am going to lose the battle again and repeat the cycle that I have put myself through for the past 25 years. Of lose, gain and gain even more than previous highest weight. Help!!
Hi Heather,
This article may help: Recovering from Weight Loss Setbacks
And this one: Making Straight Paths for your Feet
Never forget – this is a JOURNEY. You are going to go through ups and downs, twists and turns. It is part of life. I’ve found the best way to manage this is to keep the things you want to do, close to you. Keep the things you don’t want to do, far away from you!
Ask the Lord for His wisdom and strength to do what you know must be done. God bless you!
I have a question: now that you’re slim & free, do you eat sweets at all anymore?
Hi Judy – yes, I do! I don’t bring them home anymore, but if I have to go to an event and they are serving dessert, then I have some and enjoy it. I’ve learned what my limits are and know that if I have a cake in the house, I will eat it. Not a matter of willpower, but I just know a lot of sugar hijacks my brain. So choose not to go there. Got better things to do with my life than engaging in food fights 🙂
Kim I haven’t mastered that point of not buying it. I thought I had . Can you help me process the why I go there when I know the end results. LORD HAVE MERCY
Hi Kim – Thanks for writing. The reason you continue to buy it is because something inside of you believes you NEED it. Ask the Lord in prayer to show you if the enemy has convinced you somehow that you’ll die or suffer without it. An easy way to tell is don’t buy it once, and then write down all the thoughts that come up that convince you that you need to buy it again. Then, you can take those lies to God in prayer and ask Him to show you the truth for your freedom.
Hi Kimberly – Thanks for the post. What specifically are you buying that you don’t want to? I think it’s important to get to the specifics of WHAT you are doing before trying to process the WHY.
I have just got out of a pit. I stayed way too long. I finally realized what God wanted me to do. I took the first step and now I wait for him to direct me where I go from here. PTL.
Praising Him with you – where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!
Depending on the situation I’m either between pit 3 and 4 or 4 and 5. It’s my resistance (step 3) that needs work. Loved this article. Thank you.
You are welcome – all praise to God!
I’m at the end of chapter 3 heading into Chapter 4
I am so so grateful to have found your website and emails. Thank you for your encouraging truth in Jesus to seek the freedom he offers. I believe I am in Chapter 4.
I’m lost somewhere in chapter 3. It makes no sense. By the grace of God I lost 170-180 lbs …. then over a year I’ve gained 28 lbs back. Maybe true freedom only comes in heaven ….
S – praise God for the over 140 pounds you have kept off. That is amazing! With His help, you can get the others back, one day at a time.
I’m somewhere between chapters three and four, I believe.
May 2018 I am in Chapter 3. But I want to get out. I have had the lying thoughts: You are not meant to be thin. God wants you to be fat. I didn’t start out this way. When I was a young child I was slim. So it isn’t God who put me here. It is me. I like to eat all the time. I use food as a pacifier for loneliness and fear and anxiety. I need help from the Holy Spirit to get out of this hole that I am in. Thank you for writing this.
You are welcome, Darcy – it takes time and effort to renew your mind to God’s word, but such freedom awaits you when you do!
Darcy,
I had to write to you because as I read your comment I literally had to read the name to see if I had posted without realizing it. Your comment is me. I was a thin child and even teenager/young adult. I grew up in an environment where “thin was in” and have struggled with my natural curves/not appreciating/or understanding my body. Just this morning I asked God if perhaps I am supposed to remain this size (I have gained nearly 100lbs over the past 10+ years, currently 219.8 at 5’7″ this morning) but I had to silence that lying thought as eating to sustain this weight could not be of God. I have yo-yo’d for nearly 20 years. I have isolated myself due to the shame of my appearance, meaning I am not experiencing life the way God intended for me to. For years I have dictated to God what my “goal weight” is. While I still have an objective, I have asked God to lead me to the weight that He intended/intends for me to be and to show me how to sustain said weight. Neither my physical body nor my spirit can take the toll of yo-yo’ing. I want to live and no longer meremly exist. I want to see that pit and turn right down the other street. I want that street to be condemned in my mind. Like a choose your own adventure, I need another ending
I have no idea what the future holds, but I know WHO holds the future, and it is is GOD alone.
Today was a day of carbs…..which I’ve been intentionally staying away from! But instead of giving up and making tomorrow Day 2 or this whole weekend which turns into a week and a down spiral from there…..I’ve decided that tomorrow is a new day and if God decides to bless me with it I’m choosing another street!
I normally wallow in mistakes but I’m encouraged to push and keep progressing! I’ve come far so I shall keep going by the grace and the power of God! This race is not finished and I’m on an upward spiral instead of the opposite! I shall be a positive influence to others and accomplish the will of God! I’m excited that the cycle of over a decade does not have to continue to consume me! Like everybody else said…..this article was on time!! Thank You Jesus!
Praise God – let it be to you according to God’s word!
Struggling to come out of the pit. Only one time did I try an online weight loss program. Since your program offers prayer and sharing on Facebook that would be an added blessing. The price is great, need to pray about truly committing and paying the fee. Thank you for your encouragement.
Hello Wanda
I am sooo sorry for all the trials and hurts you have gone through. You said, you wanted to come back to the Lord.
I can tell you He is there waiting for you. I can identify with some of the pain you have gone through. We can not dwell on the past. We are never too old. I believe God has an awesome plan for your life. You are not alone.
You have Kimberly and I all of us as sisters in Christ. Jesus! is waiting to welcome you with open arms and loves you more than any human being could.
Thanks, Kimberly for your encouragement for the journey! I have been in a pit for a very long time, due to some circumstances and happenings in my life that led me to believe I was destined to stay there, that this was my destination. I know God has a plan for my life and I am trying to find my way out. I’ve been through so much and I am 60 years old hoping in faith that all I went through was for something better. I have to believe in that. My past has made me waste a lot of my future by dwelling on it, I know it’s over and done and can’t change anything but it is constantly on my mind and I cry everyday, about what could of been or should I have done things differently. I emotionally overate and food was my comfort. I weigh approximately 220 lbs. I have lost a few pounds as a while back weighed in at 245. I wish I could join TBYT but not in a financial state, but I read your emails and want to say besides my little sister you have given me the most encouragement that I have ever received in my life even though we never met. I’ve been through rape, incest, molestation, divorce, raising three kids after their dad left me for my sister, thought I found love and stayed with a man who cheated on me for 28 years because I thought that I didn’t deserve better, my ex and he has both passed away but it didn’t ease the pain any less, the latter only died 1&1/2 years ago and now loneliness has set in. I really need to get close to God again but I feel he’s so far from me that I can’t hear him because of the things I’ve done in my life. I’m trying to find my way back to him so my life can be better and thank you again your emails bring light unto an otherwise dark place. Your encouragement means a lot to many people. God bless you for your wisdom and kindness to help other people.
God loves you and He is NOT mad at you nor NOT speaking to you. He does not do the silent treatment…humans do. God is not a man that He should lie…His sheep know His voice & another’s they will not hear. So I decree and declare that you will begin to hear what He has to say for you to you and He will begin to do things through you. Be encouraged my sister, I’ve gone through a lot of some of those things that you mentioned and done some pretty awful things in my life too; however, John 17:23 says that God loves us just as much as he loves Jesus! I need you to recognize that and receive it. I was led to write you even though this post is almost 2 years old; it is my prayer that it will somehow find a way to you Wanda. You are the apple of Jesus’s eye!
Ma’am I feel the same way I had felt his presence lift and have lost almost everything I am living with a some people and I don’t know what to do I can’t hear Jesus I feel the opposite it’s scary I want to be in Heaven with my father he tried to warn me and I didn’t listen
Dear Wanda, I have read your story and have been through everything you talked about except having kids with my ex.
I’ve learned through Christ Jesus, that he says we are to “praise God” in ALL circumstances…
bad or good.! We are used by God to be a witness to other women who are going through similar circumstances and can’t get out of that PIT.
I am here to let you know that if you are a child of the King, God does not see your sins when he looks at you through his Son. He only sees you as pure white and holy, saved by Jesus’s blood. We received our place to the right hand of Christ when we accepted Jesus into our heart, with repentance of our sins.
Remember that Jesus NEVER leaves us or forsakes us, WE leave Him! He’s still there with outstretched hands waiting for you to COME! Go to him TODAY!
A Friend in Jesus, Stella
Yes! So glad I saved this email and went back to read it.
Right on time. This article was the medicine my battered soul & spirit needed today. Bless you sister.
This was fantastic. Your words are always encouraging and illuminating, but today you shine a light on a dark place in my spirit. Definitely God-inspired, and what I needed. You are doing a good work. Praying for us both today, as I determine to get out of my pit, and for God to bless you in your good work. Thank you.
Sister…more than a motivator for us to take back our temple God uses you to preach. Thank you for your submition to our father and encouraging us. I have decided today i will start loosing 100 lbs. Im 5 one and weigjt 221lbs…I know i will take back my temple in Jesus name. Amen
I’m taking back my temple in Jesus name. Thanks for your words of encouragement. God bless you