(Author’s Note: Sorry for the bad spacing at the end of today’s post. WordPress and I are not getting along today. The post looks beautiful when I go in and edit it but once I update it all the spacing between lines and paragraphs goes away.)
Sara asked me to write one more post about what the Faithful Finish Lines (online faith and fitness program) meant to me. While reviewing my participation in this fitness program, I came up with 3 words –
Acceptance, Grace, Community
Acceptance
Sara, Jill and fellow team members accepted me as I am, just like God does.
I started this faith, fitness, eating and mission program with a pulled muscle behind my left knee. Everyone understood and accepted that fact. I worked on my upper body and gently and gradually exercised the lower body, but did not push beyond what was comfortable.
Grace
I think everyone failed the weekly eating goals at least once. When we did, just like God, there was no shame, condemnation or keeping track of past failures. Our sins were washed white as snow.
On Monday of sugar week, I had a piece of turtle cheesecake with decaf coffee. Ooooppppssss! However, I cut back on sugar the rest of the week. So I made progress in reducing sugar instead of eliminating it – and progress is progress.
Every time I slipped up on the goals, I fell forward into arm’s full of grace and forgiveness.
Community
When you become a widow, some or all of your friends, family and/or your late husband’s friend’s and family will up and vanish like a fart in the wind. (Shawshank Redemption) There goes your community.
But not with this group. We knew we needed one another as we were all going through something. Community kept us going from day-to-day and week to week, whether it was participation in weekly Facebook chats, commenting on status updates in the group, or teaming up with a prayer partner. New friendships formed. We all had (and still have) each other’s back. It did not matter that I was a widow these ladies were here for me with prayers, articles and words of encouragement.
One week I had trouble printing my resume from Word (not a good thing when you are in-between jobs) and one of the women posted an article that helped me troubleshoot and fix the problem.
Final Thought
My first year of widowhood I sat around on weekends barely doing anything. I was storing up enough energy to make it through the next work week. I wished I had access to this type of community support during that time, as I needed someone to push me to move more and to help me get back into life.
Selly Sell
Looking to get in shape during the new year?
Join this program.
There are no special dietary requirements, no strict exercise routine, no calorie counting and no weigh-ins.
It is an affordable program you will stick with and there are several levels, one to fit every budget.
Click the link below:
- With this code, you get a $10 off discount for any program.
- I will get $5 off (free month) for every new person who uses the code and puts my name or blog name for referral.
2020 Disclaimer: If you just found this post, I am no longer an active participant in the program as I am working on cutting Facebook out of my life. Also this program has been revamped and is now Faithful Finish Lines 2.0 and is a membership program with a monthly fee.
JoyReturns 
Wonderfully honest post about your experience and I loved the correlation to the love of God and his forgiving grace – so important to remember as we often beat ourselves up vs. treating ourselves with loving kindness. Good for you to keep up with it in the New Year as well – good luck on your journey!
Thank you. God is at the center of this program. Mom noticed the weight loss the other day when we had Christmas. Wishing you unending joy in 2015.
What a great programme!
My former career required a rather high level of fitness, and I maintained it after it was no longer operationally necessary (I became a college teacher, and my students were nonplussed to see me running endless laps and working the free weights).
One thing I can say is that when my health tanked, that high level of fitness gave me more cushion, further to fall.
I didn’t have community for that; my motivation was always that a lack of fitness could get you killed. Or, worse, get a colleague killed.
The other benefit is that on a morning like this, when I would far prefer to curl up on the floor in a foetal position and simply not move (from pain, nausea, and dizziness), I know that I can do more; when you push yourself hard in training, you know that while operational requirements are always more brutal, you can still meet them.