Well, its been a minute since the last time I wrote on this, I pray the words I write have a positive impact on your day today!
Since the last time I wrote this, I definitely feel like I have changed. Its been a whirlwind of things happening, people changing, and soul searching. Lets play a little catch-up.
I think the most recent time I wrote, I was a junior. Man, that feels like yesterday but decades ago. This past year, I thought I was in a good place. I had a job at McDonalds that was paying pretty well, I started to get involved in Younglife, and my grades were good. MY LIFE WAS "PERFECT". I had one thing that always continued to kind of hinder my happiness. I was 250 pounds. I felt like my whole high school career just revolved around my appearance. No one wants to hangout or been seen with the fat kid at school. So the self esteem dropped pretty heavily. I was also a people pleaser, like my whole reputation revolved around if I made the right people happy. I felt like God was only there if something bad happened, I thought of him as a judge and nothing more. It was starting to feel nothing like the first months after I accepted him as my Lord and Savior. The end of the school year was becoming a struggle, and everything was starting to change. I felt like I was losing my grip on my situation. I felt like my life was slowly spinning out of control.
My health was also getting worse. My blood pressure was spiking into 140/80 and the weight was still going up. Honestly other than before I accepted Christ this was rock bottom. I put so much weight on all these worldly things: girls, money, acceptance, and material things. I learned my lesson when those bottomed out on me and left me exposed, or raw, unprotected.
Okay, maybe that wasn't the most happy-go-lucky thing you were looking for today, but trust me it gets better.
After all these health problems, my mom insisted that I get a personal trainer. So we went to Cook Performance to meet my new trainer. I felt ashamed going in there, I felt like he was pitying me, but that wasn't the case. I started to train with him and it really showed me how far off I was from the right track. I could barely do pushups, I mean come on that's sad. I started with my trainer in May, and it's been a long journey. After several weeks of hard work. I lost a total of 15 pounds before heading off to my latest adventure. Younglife camp at Rockbridge! It was an awesome week, its definitely one of the best things about being a high schooler. I met some really awesome people. God made His presence there too. These moments that I had with these people truly showed the work that was going on inside these guys and gals. I also turned 18 in a West Virginia McDonald's! That was a weird experience, but I wouldn't wanna have it any other way. I went back to the grind of working out afterwords for a couple weeks and got to the 20lb weight loss mark. These I headed to my favorite place on Earth, Mahoning Valley Christian Service Camp. If I didn't state in one of my previous blog posts, this is where I fully accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior as a freshman. The place itself is surreal, its a place away from the world with people who all have the same mission as you. My last year is this year so it makes me sad but I'm gonna make the most of it! It was a great week and I was headed home optimistic and refreshed. I then wanted to start taking my faith seriously, so I got a journal, a new bible, and a devotion book. Then I didn't even touch them for about a month. I've started to do my daily devotions though and it's making a huge difference in my life so far. I feel as if though I've matured in my faith and have become an example. Which I hope I don't screw up. Anyway, to end my the last parts of my story up to here, I have a job at Goody's and Amack's Well (come get a good cup of coffee will ya?). I have been becoming renewed in my faith and I'VE LOST 50 POUNDS. I doesn't even feel like it, but I'm happy its happened.
