I don't like cleaning the kitchen, but I love a clean kitchen.
What is a girl to do?
Here are my options:
A. Don't clean the kitchen and leave it dirty
B. Clean the kitchen and enjoy a clean kitchen
C. Get somebody else to clean it for me
For me, choice 'A' wasn't an option. I can't stand a messy kitchen.
Choice 'C' wasn't an option either. My husband Mike and I agreed before we married that I would handle the kitchen and he would do the laundry.
I like doing the laundry even less than cleaning the kitchen! So I had no interest in switching chores with him.
So that left me with option B.
How do I get myself to clean the kitchen, even though I don't like it?
Let's look at Jesus' example and how He got through doing something He did not want to do:
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
- Hebrews 12:2
And what was that joy?
The joy was in fulfilling His Father's will and seeing you and me reconciled to God when we accept Him as our Savior!
That's what I call the "After-Joy." It is the joy that comes after making a right choice.
Jesus endured the cross' torment for hours, but now He has joy eternally.
He sits in honor at the Father's right hand, rejoicing over every sinner who repents!
I am so glad that Jesus chose the "after-joy" for me. How about you?
Back to option B and my kitchen dilemma. I focused on the joy set before me.
I saw past the messy kitchen all the way to the finished, clean kitchen.
As I washed each dish...wiped the counters...swept the floor... I kept seeing the clean kitchen that I wanted.
And guess what? I got the clean kitchen after taking action step-by-step!
I repeat those steps day-by-day to maintain the clean kitchen.
This brings me to your health and weight loss goals. You too have options.
A. Don't build good health habits and stay overweight
B. Build good health habits day-by-day and enjoy a fitter body
Now some people try to add a 'C' and 'D' option too:
C. Hate your overweight body, believing that self-hatred will get you fit
D. Read books and articles about weight loss, believing that just reading about health will get you fit
To show you the futility of C and D, let's go back to my kitchen:
- If I hated my messy kitchen really hard, would that get it clean? No.
- If I read many books about effective cleaning techniques but didn't do any of it, would that get my kitchen clean? No.
The only way to get a clean kitchen is to appreciate what I have while taking steps daily to clean the kitchen.
Hating the messy kitchen will get me nowhere, plus it shows ingratitude for having a kitchen at all.
Reading a book about effective cleaning techniques would only be helpful if I put what I learned into practice when I clean the kitchen.
Do you have a vision of a fitter body and why you want it? If you can see the reward, you will do the daily work!
What one right choice will you make today so that you can start living in the "after-joy"?
''After-joy'' certainly feels better than a lifetime of regret over missing out on the life you want!