Since I am "determined" to "finish what I start," here are a few more nuggets of wisdom from that KidsPraise song.

"It takes courage not to give up

The reward is better when you finish up

I know because I've been there before

So keep on moving til you make it

I know that life gets hard

But don't give up

No, no, no

I'm not going to quit until I'm finished

I'm not going to stop until I'm done

I'm not going to walk away until it's over

I'm going to finish what I start

'cause determination is my motivation...

"You might be saying, ok Linda...that's all well and good. It's a nice song, but I've tried and tried and I just can't seem to lose weight. I'm there with you! I have the same problem. I've had more success this past year than I EVER have before in my YEARS of diets and exercise trials. I have to look at what I am doing this time that's different...it's the connection to God on a daily basis, relying on Him instead of on my own. The following verse has helped me:

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

I want renewed strength! I want to run and not be weary! I want to walk forward and not faint! When I rely on my own self control...my own determination, I fail every time! When I realize and admit that I am powerless without God, that's when he reaches down and gives me the strength, wisdom and determination I need!

Another difference this time is our group. I'm not doing this alone...several of us are working on this tough stuff together. If we come to our group meetings on Sundays (or whenever your group meets) and we participate in the discussions and see that others feel just like we do, we see that we are not alone. That is very valuable!

I am looking for ways to improve our Sunday mother-daughter group meetings. One young person in our group has confided in me that our Sunday group meetings are boring...all we do is TALK and cry. (teens just don't seem to understand what an emotional thing it is for some of us!) So....what can we do in our short meeting time to make it more fun, while also getting some of the Bible study in there too??? I am open to your ideas. We need to help each other stay determined and finish what we started! We won't give up!

If you are reading this and you are not a part of First Place 4 Health, or any other support or small group, I encourage you to pray about it and look for a group near you. Perhaps there is a group at your church, community center...we need someone supportive in our lives to help us stay accountable and to encouarge us when we feel bad about our progress. God made us social beings for a reason...we NEED each other!

Have a wonderful day!