When’s the last time you asked yourself “Why can’t I lose weight”? The struggle with body weight and image leaves many women frustrated and bitter.
After multiple weight-loss products and diets fail, it’s hard to have hope.
Today we’re finishing Naomi’s Bitter Journey and our look into body weight. We’re going deep with today’s questions believing God will reveal His heart to you and you’ll find the joy in your weight journey.
Spend this time with God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth.
If you’re just finding Bought at a Price go back and read our first post “What Makes a Woman Beautiful (in God’s eyes)” and the first two posts on weight, “A Bitter Journey – An Honest Look at Women’s Struggle with Weight Loss” and “Why Losing Weight is So Difficult, part 1”. These will provide you with the background for today’s post.
By the end of this week you’ll have finished your journey with Naomi and know what contributes to women’s struggle with weight. Friday’s post will cover the remaining 9 reasons weight loss is so difficult.
We’re also putting the “how-to” information into an ebook so you’re able to reference it when needed. Make sure you sign up for our weekly emails so you’ll get the ebook when it’s finished.
Before we begin – Remember ladies, weight loss isn’t about pursuing a certain size or number on a scale.
- Pursue weight loss so you’re able to do all God created you to do.
- Pursue it because you want to glorify God.
- Pursue it because you want to take exceptional care of the amazing you God created.
Last week we looked at the loss and bitterness Naomi experienced. We also spent time looking at our own responses to painful experiences and exploring any bitterness caused by a longing to lose weight or failed weight loss attempts.
Let’s finish Naomi’s story.
A Celebratory Journey
Naomi Refocuses
Once back in Bethlehem Naomi refocused her attention on Ruth.
She knew a young lady like Ruth needed to be married sooner than later. This was not a time when women could wait as long as they wanted to get married.
Nope, you started losing your “worth” long before you hit the ripe ‘ol age of 20. Ikes!
In Ruth 3:1-2a Naomi says to Ruth, “ ‘My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for?’ Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours?”
Who knows what Naomi was up to while Ruth had been gleaning in Boaz’s field or how long she’d been gleaning before Naomi asked this question but…any attempt of mine (or yours) to figure that out would be a waste.
Boy oh boy I’d love to know the answer though. Anyone else with me on this? Wanna fill in the missing details?
Okay, back to Naomi.
The character she had at the beginning is showing again. She puts others before self and is looking out for Ruth’s best interests. The same thing she wanted when she told Ruth to go back to Moab.
I’ve gotta wonder if Naomi wasn’t sitting at home working scenario’s out in her head. “Okay…Ruth is gleaning with Boaz and Boaz is a long lost relative so…if I do this and this then would this happen? Or do I need to have Ruth do this so that happens?”
Come on! Women haven’t changed that much since the BC era, have we?
Either way.
Naomi came up with a plan and gave Ruth very detailed instructions (which I’m guessing were well thought out and rehearsed).
Now it’s time to put you back in the spotlight. Here’s the PDF with today’s questions: A Reason for Celebrating…
- Do you put caring for others before caring for self?
- Why or why not?
Again, be honest. Yes, I want you honest with all of them but pleeeaaassseee don’t sell yourself short or skimp on this one.
- Of the 24 hours God gives you each day, how much of that is spent caring for others?
- In what ways do you care for others?
- Do you think caring for yourself is important?
- Why or why not?
- When was the last time you did something for you?
- What was it?
- Do you feel like there’s no time in your day for self-care?
- What would you do if there was an extra 1-2 hours in your day and it could only be used to take care of you?
Naomi’s Celebration
If you’ve never read the book of Ruth you’re likely wondering how “celebration” could possibly show up in a story like Naomi’s. Well – it did and guess what, there’s a celebration waiting for you as well.
We’ll come back to you in a minute.
Naomi could celebrate because her plan worked. Ruth got married and Naomi became a grandma.
The women of Bethlehem came to Naomi and said “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer…For your daughter-in-law who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Ruth 4:14 & 15b
What? Marriage and a baby and we’ve barely gone through a chapter? Yup, the book of Ruth is full of highlights.
No fluff ‘n stuff in this book.
Naomi went from a widow living with her widowed daughter-in-law to a grandmother. Her plot to get Ruth and Boaz married worked.
To be quite honest, it wasn’t a plot.
Naomi was a woman of God and I’m certain she was following God’s lead when setting Ruth and Boaz up.
That gives me another question for you.
- When you’re caring for the people from the last set of questions, do you do this by asking God what He wants you to do?
- Yes or no and then answer the big “why?”
Okay, back to Naomi again. You’re off the hook for a second.
The last we hear of Naomi in this short little book is Ruth 4:16. “Then Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son.’”
Boy oh boy did she have reason to celebrate. The celebration isn’t what I want you to get from this story though. The journey is what I want you to see.
Life is made of joy and suffering. Seasons of sorrow and celebration. There’s only one thing that remains constant.
God’s love and faithfulness.
I think Naomi understood this. Her openness about being bitter and sorrowful was healthy. She didn’t keep it to herself. She also didn’t keep her eyes self-focused while she went through difficult seasons.
Naomi remained focused on others, and while it doesn’t say so directly, I believe she kept her focus on God.
- When was the last time you celebrated something in life?
- What was it and why did you celebrate?
- When was the last time you felt content and happy with your life?
All aspects of it my dear. Your weight, appearance, friends, family, home, job, bank account, health, anything and everything. You get the idea.
- What aren’t you content about and why?
- What do you wish was different and why?
- If these things were different, what would change about life?
It’s okay to say “how I feel about myself would change” or “how I think others view or see me” or “my husband would…” or “I’d be able to…”
Let’s wrap Naomi’s story up and then we’ll come back to you.
What Naomi Didn’t Know
I had to pause after writing this header. All I could come up with was another question and it’s a question God asked of me as I finished spelling the word “know”.
- What would you do differently if you know the story that I, God, know?
See, Naomi didn’t know her grandson would be the father of Jesse, the father of David.
She didn’t know David would become the “man after God’s own heart”.
She didn’t know Ruth would be David’s great grandmother and part of Jesus’ family tree. Um,
Wow! Super big Wow!
If Naomi was following God’s instructions when she told Ruth how to catch Boaz’ eye, she was doing it for reasons that didn’t matter one bit in the larger scheme of things.
Hindsight is always 20:20, right?
She thought getting Ruth married would mean food on the table and no more risk of being taken advantage of. Shortsighted but still important.
Can you imagine how she would have celebrated if she knew the Messiah was coming from her family tree? Wonder what Ancestry.com would pull up on that one?
Get the picture?
Your needs right now matter, but you don’t know the rest of the story. You never will.
We have to trust God and follow His lead In Every Single Area of Our Lives.
Period.
But because life is what life is, and sin exists until Jesus returns, life is going to have sorrow, tears, losses, celebrations, victories, and surprises.
God already knows what each second of your life looks like.
He’s already written your life story.
So, in light of this and our little glimpse into Naomi’s life, I’ve got a couple closing questions.
- Would you pour out your heart to the Lord and give Him every dream, wish, want, and desire of your heart?
Take some time and write them all down.
- Would you then ask your Abba Father what He wants you to focus on and how He wants you to use each day He gives you?
In Closing...
Wow! That was quite a journey.
I want to wrap this up by circling back to weight. Like most of life, weight loss is a journey. It’s a journey that looks a lot like the one we just went on with Naomi.
We traveled through her loss, bitterness, refocusing, celebration, and the story she didn’t know. I pray you’ve spent time with God as you answered each question and, if you’re struggling with weight, that you ask your Abba Father what He wants for you.
Like I said last week, “You have to begin by being content with who you are right now, being happy with who God created you to be and all He’s allowed you to do.
From there, weight loss is a slow steady journey of identifying the cause(s) and working to remove or replace anything that might be contributing.”
Your Father wants what’s best for you.
He wants you to be happy with who He created you to be and wants you to joyfully and contentedly reflect Him to the watching world.
Weight loss isn’t a perfect or quick process – it’s a journey.
If it’s a journey you need to take, ask the Holy Spirit to direct and give you strength. Then, go back to “Why Losing Weight is So Difficult, part 1” and start putting the steps in place that apply to you.
Take small steps and do one thing at a time.
Don’t try and tackle everything at once. When you’ve got one thing fixed or working correctly, add another, and another. Stay the course and don’t give up or give in.
Friday we’ll post the other 9 reasons weight loss is so difficult and the things you can do about them.
If you subscribe to our weekly devotions and lifestyle tips, we’ll send you the ebook with all 18 of the reasons weight loss is so difficult and what you can do about them. That way you’ll have everything at your fingertips so you can take each needed step on your weight journey.
You are an amazing woman.
Never forget that.
Don’t let the mirror tell you lies.
Rejoice as David did in Psalm 139:13-17 “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ You works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, God!”
As always, if you have any questions about what you’ve read today, go to your pastor. If you don’t have a pastor, send us an email here.
We’d also just love to hear from you. Leave us a comment below or send us an email. God bless…
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