Grace Knows Our Destiny
This never-failing grace and vision of God has been working on those in Sweet Change Group and today, for just a few minutes, I was able to sit in the heavens, put on the lenses of grace, look down and see what God sees—a sea of potential, a sea of amazing people with destinies they can’t even imagine exist.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”10
For many months, I was reluctant to begin Sweet Change Weight Loss Group. I knew how many excuses I had on my journey and how patient my mentor was. I didn’t know if I had the tools to do the job.
I asked God, “How do You deal with all seven billion of us and all our excuses about why we can’t do what You are telling us to do?”
I felt He said back to me, “I do it just like I did with you—with grace, compassion and patience. I will give you what you need to lead. Trust Me.”
I didn’t understand that in its entirety except I knew He never gave up on me over the course of at least 30 years. He endured each of my failed attempts when I would lose weight and gain it back again. He never yelled, scolded or beat me up. He just gently led me when I would once again ask, “How in the world am I supposed to do this?”
God sees everything. He sees us when we fail, but His lenses of grace are so different from ours. He sees us and our lives as they will relate to the puzzle of eternity. He knows exactly where we fit and how to get us into the right shape if we will listen.
Seeing Through the Lenses of Grace
I got to put on a pair of those glasses today, for just a few minutes. Oh, to be able to wear the lenses of grace always. It brought heaven on earth for a breath-taking time.
I cannot close this without extending an invitation to you to join Sweet Change Weight Loss Coaching Group. I have no hype or special offers. I just ask you to take a deep breath, hike up your britches and take the plunge into a sea of God’s grace that can set you free from the bondages you are in.
Be ready to do the work. Be ready to post in the group and be transparent. Be ready to watch the videos and do the weekly action steps. Be ready to press in closer than you ever have to a God whose love you will experience in a deeper way.
And along the way, you just may begin to stop thwarting your destiny and flow in the direction of the good plans11 of an awesome God who wears spectacular glasses with lenses of grace.
1 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
2 Romans 5:20
3 2 Peter 3:18
4 Micah 7:19
5 Psalm 103:12
6 Psalm 69:5, Proverbs 15:3
7 Ephesians 2:10
8 John 10:10
9 Romans 8:27-28
10 Ephesians 3:20-21
11 Jeremiah 29:11
Teresa Shields Parker is an author, speaker and coach. Sweet Change Weight Loss Coaching and Accountability Group provides support, encouragement, weekly videos, action steps and an online group for those wanting to be intentional about their weight loss efforts. Click the title to take you to the information page for Sweet Change.
Her new book, Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation, published Dec. 2014 is now the #1 Christian weight loss memoir on Amazon, shares the stories of 17 individuals on the weight loss journey and includes much information from Teresa. Download a free chapter HERE.
In her first book, Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds, she shares transparently and openly about the challenges of losing an extreme amount of weight. Sweet Grace Study Guide gives practical tips on weight loss.
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