Last week I brought up the question: Does God care how much I weigh? I believe the answer is a paradox: NO and YES. Today we’ll talk about YES, God does care about your weight.

Yes: God cares how much you weigh because your weight affects your life. Some may argue that our physical body doesn’t matter because it’s just going to die in the end. “For dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). There is a Hershey’s Nugget of truth in there, but if you zoom out to look at the whole chocolate bar, you realize that if you’re not dust yet, it’s because God has good works planned for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).

God has good works planned for you, but an overweight body can prevent you from serving him to your full potential. Carrying extra weight slows you down physically. It creates emotional baggage and plays with your self confidence. When you maintain your body at a healthy weight, you’re comfortable in your own skin. Instead of feeling your body’s limitations, you feel free to serve.

Like money and time, your health is an asset to be stewarded, not squandered. God doesn’t care about a number on the scale, but he does care about your health. Being overweight often leads to health problems that suck your time, energy, and money, leaving less of each for serving God. Unhealthy habits are like an ill-fitting bra: they are a hindrance that offers no support and should be thrown off like Paul says in Hebrews 12:1 so we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.

There are many things about our bodies that we can’t control like disease and genetics and how coordinated we look doing zumba. But if we do our part to maintain our health, then our body becomes as asset to our walk with God and not a distraction. Today is a good day to take action and start getting healthy. Choose one habit to start with (sleep, exercise, eating vegetables, drinking water, portion control) and set a goal for this week. Just remember that God’s love for you doesn’t go up and down with the scale or your dumbbells. His love for you is constant and complete.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3b