The Lazarus Principle

At the beginning of October I made a decision to change the way I live my day to day life. I committed to a life of physical health and fitness as well as spiritual renewal. I have a goal of climbing Mt. Hope in Colorado next summer and riding 50 miles in the Hotter N Hell in August. My main too in this leg of the journey is Weight Watchers and a commitment to make small changes each week rather than making intense and dramatic changes all at once. I am committed to success even if I do not do it perfectly! I fight the thoughts that this is all too much, too late, too hard, etc. After all, people don't really change after age 30 or 35 and I am 41.5!!! The mental battle is the toughest part. I have to make written plans and menus and let others people into a very private part of my life :( This is where The Lazarus Project comes in. I got the idea from Sheila Walsh as she is on a similar journey.

As written by Sheila Walsh, "In John's gospel chapter 11 we read the story of Christ calling a man, Lazarus who had been dead for 4 days back to life again. The amount of days here has great significance. At that time there was a belief in Jewish culture that for 3 days the spirit could return to the body but on the fourth, when it saw how pale it was it would never return. Jesus wanted to make sure that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this man was gone. Jesus approached the entrance to the tomb and told them to roll the stone away. Then he called out, "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus, finding himself back in his body stumbled out into the blinding daylight. Jesus didn't touch him instead he turned to those gathered and said, "Unbind him and let him go."

Here's the Lazarus principle, Jesus does what only he can do, call from death to life but then he asks us to do what we can do. I realized that I can hope the rest of my life and pray that I'll wake up healthy, skinny and fit or I get get my sorry self out of bed and do what I can do. Since October 5, 2009 I've dropped 13 pounds and gained a little energy. I do not dread getting out of bed most mornings and I look forward to what most days have to offer. God has given us a wonderful gift in our body and it's up to us to live up to our end of creation. What? You think that is not much? Well it is 2 pounds a week lost (rather than gained!) and it is pulling out of a depression that was pulling me deeper and deeper into despair! It has pulled me out of the grave and I am now doing my part...removing the grave clothes! We have one life to live-this is mine. My ultimate goal is to be as healthy as possible, enjoy my family and to serve God for as long as possible.

You may wonder why I am making the public to my family and friends. I do great with encouragement! I fail with criticism! I am doing all I can to surround myself with positive people and I hope you are one of them. I do not need you to fix me! After all, Jesus didn't "fix" Lazarus. He called Lazarus out of the grave (Lazarus had to stumble out on his own). This is me stumbling out. Jesus called those around Lazarus to "unbind him and let him go." I believe the encouragement you offer is part of the unbinding and me walking it out is the "let him go" part.