Over the years women who have come to the end of their rope with dieting and then regaining weight have ended up in Weight of Grace groups discouraged, but hopeful that there is another way. Having done program after program, they are used to being told to do something – count points, clean all the “bad” foods out of their cabinets, measure portions, choose foods that match their blood type, etc. So, when they arrive in a Weight of Grace group or at the Weight of Grace Ministries website, what they want to know right away is what they should do to get started on this new “program.”
This is where a mindset change needs to begin. The beginning of freedom that is lasting and Christ centered is centering on Christ! It’s really not anything you do as much as what you believe.
Most women, including me years ago, think that God is waiting for them to get their acts together and get some self-discipline before he can use them or even approve of them. Many have prayed and prayed for God to give them the power to remain on their diets. Over and over they’ve believed that they’ve failed God.
What they don’t realize is that God doesn’t want them to succeed! At least not with dieting and trying to be more disciplined.
The starting place for real and lasting freedom from overeating is with realizing that God wants to be personally involved with you, and he wants you to depend upon him. He doesn’t want you to stay on that diet to please him or lose that weight to prove that you’re a good Christian. He wants you to realize that he’s not judging you on the basis on your appearance, that he has already equipped you with the fruit of his indwelling Spirit (including self-control), and that there are deeper issues than having discipline, issues that only he can help you address and resolve.
Where to you start? With an understanding of God’s very personal involvement with you and your acceptance and transformed nature, thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For a recap of the Weight of Grace approach, see the post on this page: Layers of Issues Post.