The 2 Most Encouraging Words

Need some encouraging words on your weight loss journey? Here are some based on a recent episode in my life. I am working on lowering my blood pressure. Although the medication amount I take is low, I want to be off of it entirely. But when I checked my numbers recently, they weren't where I hoped they would be. Still, my first thought after seeing the numbers made me smile. My first thought wasn't of disappointment, but hope. The thought consisted of just 2 words, but when combined they can shift your feelings from disappointment to hope instantly. What are these 2 words? "Not yet." You see, ''not yet'' is a phrase of hope. It means that the game is still in progress. It is not over. After all, time is going to pass anyway. You get to choose how you want your time to pass. In my case, I choose to use part of my time to pursue this goal. I have chosen not to give up, but to continue.

Handling Discouraging Thoughts

Disappointment can happen when your results don't meet the expectations that you had at that moment. When disappointment happens, you can either say ''Not yet'' as I did or you can quit. Discouraging thoughts lead to quitting. The 2 most discouraging thoughts are:

• What's the use?
• Nothing I do is making any difference

Both of these are thoughts of futility. Futility means that you believe your effort is pointless and useless. But is it really? Here are some encouraging words about that. In the Bible, futility was usually associated with idolatry. Idolatry is worshiping an image, endowing a person or material thing with powers it does not have. Worshiping an image is useless and pointless. So re-evaluate your goal as to the motives behind it:

• Is your goal only about your self-image?
• Is it only about making yourself look good before others?

If the answer is yes, then that is futile. Futility is the natural end result of only worldly pursuits. However if your goal is in service to a cause greater than yourself, then your efforts are not futile:

• Will it impact others for the better?
• Can it encourage others?
• Will it glorify God?

If you haven't achieved the results you are seeking, then you are just in the ''not yet'' phase. Life goes on.  Make the most of it and encourage yourself in the meantime!

Living by Faith

I love this passage from Zechariah 4:9-11 because it contains encouraging words:

The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

The prophet is speaking of Zerubbabel, the appointed governor of Judah. King Darius of Persia appointed Zerubbabel to lead the Jews back to their homeland after Babylonian captivity. The Babylonians had destroyed their temple. The people could only see the rubble and burned gates upon their return. The situation seemed hopeless, discouraging. And yet, this Spiritual vision speaks beyond what the people could see with their natural eyes. It speaks of a laid foundation and a finished temple. Declaring the end from the beginning - just as the Lord does! I love that it asks, ''For who has despised the day of small things?'' Despise means thinking that something is unworthy of notice or consideration. However, despising small things is short sighted; after all, small things can lead to bigger things! So this scripture tells me that we should celebrate small things, not denigrate them. Small things should cause rejoicing, not rejection.

Living on Purpose

Finally, the plumb line mentioned in this passage is also one necessary to living in faith and encouragement. The plumb line is a straight vertical line, a reference point by which everything else is measured. The question we should always ask ourselves is - what is the plumb line in our lives? Our plumb line is our direct, vertical connect to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our efforts to make a positive impact on this world for Jesus have eternal significance. We line up our lives with God. His word is our standard, our plumb line. That is what brings unity within the body of Christ. So remember these final encouraging words: You may be in a ''not yet'' phase right now but that is okay. The work is being done. God is watching. He celebrates every effort to do His will - especially in small things. Stay on it! Be blessed with health, healing and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor, Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. Tired of running the same self-defeating cycles? The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through Biblical truth. You’ll discover how to lay aside what is weighing you down. Join a support community of other empowered Christians discovering how to release weight and keep it off. Click here to become a Take Back Your Temple program member.