Kicking Butt (off?)

Here is the Gospel for today:

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Well, now, that's a hard teaching, no?  I've read some awfully good sermons on this text about telling hard truths.  Gentle Jesus meek and mild, my butt.  He shows up and kicks ass and tells it like it is. 

Yesterday I had to hear a hard truth, and I had some help.  Here's what happened.

I've been trying the Six Week Body Makeover (yes, as seen on TV) and I was so excited about it and hopeful.  I did a good bit of research on it first and it didn't seem unhealthy, and I thought, "I can do anything for six weeks!" 

I have been desperately frustrated by my seeming unwillingness to follow Weight Watchers, a plan which works well for me IF I DO IT, and I know this because I've been a Lifetime Member three times.   The first time I lost the weight, I kept it off for 10 years.  It does the job! 

Without going into a lot of detail about the 6WBMO, I'll say that while it apparently works wonders for many people, I could not stick it.  I found it restrictive and troublesome, and it made me angry.  And hungry.  And I'm not good with those things. 

So yesterday, after a bad Friday night and a bad Saturday morning, I called my sister Sarah.  I wanted to whine about the program, and I was kind of embarrassed that I had bought into the people crying on the TV but I knew she would not care about that and would tell me the truth. 

So, I told her what a terrible time I was having, wah wah wah.  And she said, "Why are you doing that?" 

and the more I said about it, the more she said the same thing.  At one point she said, "So, what do you WANT me to tell you?" 

and I stopped.  Part of me wanted her to tell me to quit!  But just because she is my big sister doesn't mean she needs to tell me what to do.  I am a big girl.  I can tell myself what to do. 

And I told myself: 

• This does not feel good. 

• My body does not like it. 

• You are not happy with this program. 

• There is another way. 

• You can make this change.

• Stopping is not shameful. 

So I stopped. 

Back to Jazzercise this afternoon.  I mean it!