What Sin & Extra Pounds Have in Common

Minus a few exceptionally fit women, we all know areas of our bodies that are less than what we want them to be (or better said, they are more than we want them to be).

Some of us seek to rectify these “imperfections” through exercise and healthy eating. Some of us choose not to think about it. And others think about it, but have given up any hope of lasting change.

However, most (if not all) of us, wouldn’t mind finding the magic pill that fixed it all! There’s plenty of successful retail catering to such hopes! But for as many quick fixes as we’re tempted to buy, deep down we know there’s no substitute for discipline at the gym and in the kitchen.

An Unexpected Spiritual Analogy

One dreary day, I pondered my own bodily flaws (that shall remain nameless) and I thought to myself, “that area of mine reminds me a lot of sin.” Follow my thought process: we’re not fond of our sin like we’re not fond of our physical flaws — but what are we really doing about it? We wish certain pounds would melt away like we wish certain sinful heart issues would disappear…. But let’s be honest, wishing doesn’t do much good!

The parallels continued in my mind…

• We’ll give holiness a little effort (like we’d give to a quick fad diet), but we give up and give in when fighting sin is hard or inconvenient.

• Sometimes we look in the spiritual mirror just long enough to get discouraged, but we forsake the discipline to make lasting change.

• We look for a quick fix (like a “magic pill”), but we aren’t willing to buckle down and do the hard soul work that holiness requires (Hebrews 12:3-4, Galatians 5:24).

But thankfully, more hope (and purpose) is found in our quest for holiness than is found in our quest for a great physique.

No Pain No Gain

So what sin do you wish would simply go away? Have you buckled down to really attack it, or have you let it sit there hoping it would eventually disappear? Perhaps you’ve been hoping holiness would be easier, and you find yourself giving up too quickly?

Unfortunately, we won’t suddenly stop sinning. We won’t grow out of worry or impatience. Selfishness or irritability can’t be wished away. Sin is just going to settle in like unwanted excess fat on our souls—until we do something about it. And “doing something” is rarely easy.

Today’s the day we should admit we have sin that will only go away if we put in some spiritual blood, sweat, and tears. And then, we need to get to work.  We can’t sit there hoping we will become more godly. Do what you know you need to do to be the woman God wants you to be. Take the next steps to fight your sin. Attack those sinful heart issues.

In the end, I doubt it matters whether we shed our extra pounds or not, but you can bet we’ll care whether we fought off our sin. Let’s buckle down and get to work.

There may be some pain, but no doubt, there’ll be great gain.