...running the course God sets before us, no matter the cost, no matter the task, to the end, for His glory
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

When It Is GOOD To Be Fat!

One of "joys" of being a, well....mature....aging.....um...."older" woman is fact that if I eat the same amount food as I did in younger days, I will not...well....let's just say... I will not have the same amount of "padding". By that, I do not mean there is less!


It is one of those dirty little secrets that no one tells you. As you age not only do things migrate south, but also hair that turns grey also turns wiry and unreasonable, and sleep begins to allude you, and body parts that you were not even aware that you have begin to hurt, but on top of all those little party favors, your body apparently begins to forget how to metabolize food.


I'm not kidding.



  • Now one slice of cheese converts into 1/2 inch of girth. 
  • Just looking at ice cream translates to 3 pounds. 
  • And a slice of pizza....well, you can imagine the damage of that!



So you can imagine the joy I felt when I found something that is supposed to be fat!


My soul.


No kidding, just look at this:
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
but the soul of the diligent is made fat.
Proverbs 13:4

And not only do we want a fat soul, leanness of soul is seen as a bad thing:
And He gave them their request,
 but sent leanness into their soul.

Psalm 106:15


Yeah! Leanness is bad! Fat is good!

Well. At least for souls.


When LEAN is Bad 
So how did that bad leanness in Psalm 106 happen?  It happened when the Israelites were out in the wilderness, wandering around and getting hungry and getting worried and doubting God. Nevermind that they had just watched the Red Sea swallow up the Egyptian army, they still doubted God's ability to provide for them.

So they fretted. They complained. They begged for relief.

And then God sent them what they wanted. 

But would they have still wanted it if they had realized the cost? What if God had had them on a program in the wilderness that was going to make their souls fat? But they missed out?

What if what we want is the very thing that will turn our heart from God and make our soul skinny and shriveled and lacking in life and abundance?


Would anything be worth that?




Fatten Up!
So how do we fatten up our soul?


By DILIGENTLY,  persistently, unswervingly, energetically, doggedly pursuing God and what He wants!


Even if it takes us straight into a dangerous wilderness with no water, food, or protection. Even if it is for 40 years. Even if it means leaving all that we know behind. Even if it means heading for a future that is unknown.


The sluggard in Prov. 13 craved. Which means he WANTED stuff. Maybe he wanted an easier job. Maybe he wanted more money in the bank. Maybe he wanted his investments to do better. Maybe he wanted what his neighbors had.


But, what if God had given him what he craved for. Would he have had what he really needed? And what would be the state of his soul? Would it be fat?


Maybe we need to stop craving something, anything, different than we have. Maybe we need to stop complaining about the economy, or the shrinking paycheck, or the government, or the......(and you can fill in the blank there).


Maybe all of that is just the means God has to FATTEN UP OUR SOULS! 


Maybe diligently pursuing God through difficult times is just what we need to have a Fat Soul!


The world offers us:

  • a fat wallet, and an emaciated spirit
  • a prosperous life, and a bankrupt heart
  • a rich job, and a defunct dream
  • an obese brain, and a destitute life
  • an opulent ambition, and a lean soul.

So thank you very much world, but I will take a FAT SOUL if you please.

As the old Gospel hymn goes, "You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."


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