Up until a few years ago, the statement, "I am the biggest loser", had obvious negative connotations. Your first thought might be, "Wow, this person has some really deep self esteem issues". Or maybe you'd feel a compulsion to make them feel better and reassure them by pointing out their good qualities. Still others might cringe because perhaps secretly they feel the same way and have spent years numbing this insecurity with any number of inviting substitutes such as food, alcohol, drugs, sex, and even more insidious...... busyness and good deeds. I say "insidious" because the better it looks on the outside, the less likely the participant will recognize its deceptiveness and danger; in scripture Jesus refered to this as "cleaning the outside of the cup while the inside is filled with corruption and all kinds of filth".
Today, using a play on words, the hit TV series The Biggest Loser is winning many faithful followers not only because it addresses the external issues of obesity, but it also, and most importantly, seeks to heal the internal root issue that led to the addictive behavior........insecurity, rejection, anger, feeling unloved, feeling unworthy....the list goes on. And throughout the series, those who fall under the bar in terms of percentage of weight lost are then subjected to elimination; those voted off are then asked to leave the show. It's ironic and funny, but we often feel sad at the well-known parting words made by the host: "Sorry John, you are not the biggest loser". In the end, the participant who has avoided elimination and who has had the highest percentage weight loss, wins the title of being called The Biggest Loser. Whoever came up with that title is probably a millionaire.
I love watching this show mainly because, like many things, I am drawn towards stories of redemption and restoration. For some reason they never fail to hit that tender spot deep inside my heart that says YES!! Maybe it is because it speaks to that place in my spirit that so wants to see and believe in the impossible. I want to know that even in the most seemingly God-forsaken and despairing situations, there is always hope for a new life. Like the people of Japan who are slowly digging their way out of such unforseen devastation. If not for hope, where would they be?
But this road to recovery often only exists if we are willing to walk through the process of digging ourselves out; of removing the layers of fat and debris which have slowly buried our lives. Whether it be things we believe or things put on us in this world (self hatred, rejection, fear, etc.) - it all adds up to the same thing: a multitude of lies which both create and perpetuate this cycle of self destruction. We learn to fill those lonely and painful places with food, subtances, and/or people - which, if you haven't figured out, never truly fill you up and always fail.
But God never fails, and even though The Biggest Loser is not a Christian show, I see the message of Jesus all over it. He comes in the name of love and desires to give us His life in exchange for our own. The key is recognizing you need help - not to do better, but to be better. All other religions and all earthly wisdom is about doing better; they are about human achievement and often seem grossly and unfairly skewed towards those who thrive on rules and discipline. For those of you who don't fit this mold, the Good News is that your failures and inabilities are the ingredients that make for success.
Jesus hung out with people who knew they had obvious problems, who knew they needed more than a rule book or a sermon on positive thinking. In their helplessness to change, they required more than just an overhaul; they needed a completely new life based on a completely new identity. And those who were the biggest losers according to this world's standards ended up being the biggest winners.....according to God's standards.
Because they instinctively knew that lasting freedom came not from simply changing their behavior, but from allowing true transformation to occur - from the inside out. They looked in the eyes of Jesus and saw not.... condemnation, but hope and love, and the chance for a new life. He gave them an opportunity to be called sons and daughter of God - not by their good works, but simply by trusting and believing in the only One who is truly good. They put up the white flag and said, "I surrender! I need You!"
On the show, The Biggest Loser, the process of change is intense and often taps into those places of deep insecurity and doubt. The contestants have to learn to trust their "trainers" and commit themselves to the process no matter how difficult and painful it gets - and boy does it! Through blood, sweat, and tears they are pushed to their limits, and surprisingly learn that they can often go way beyond these limits to places they had no idea existed within themselves. And it is from that core place that a new identity emerges, exuding a hope, courage and freedom that would not have been discovered had they not been in such a bad state to begin with and had they seen the choice between life and death.
It is so exciting to witness the progression of faith growing as the weight and the lies (of this world) literally come off and you begin to see the person they were meant to be. Yet had they known what it would take to get there, they probably would have run away screaming in terror.
Maybe that's why God doesn't tell us everything. Or maybe that's why He doesn't answer our shortsighted prayers for relief. He knows just what it takes to remove the layers from His masterpiece - which, BTW, has your name on it. And He will do everything within His power (if we are willing) - to make us into the people He created us to be. God does this not to make us into better people, but people whose lives are completely transformed by His love;
And His hope is that we will, in turn, reach down with His love to those who cannot see the beauty God placed deep within them; to be people who are willing to get down in the muck and mire and dig deep for the hidden treasure - the person of unquestionable worth - made worthy by the Son of God.
I want to be one of those people. And one day, God help me, I long to hear the words:
Today, using a play on words, the hit TV series The Biggest Loser is winning many faithful followers not only because it addresses the external issues of obesity, but it also, and most importantly, seeks to heal the internal root issue that led to the addictive behavior........insecurity, rejection, anger, feeling unloved, feeling unworthy....the list goes on. And throughout the series, those who fall under the bar in terms of percentage of weight lost are then subjected to elimination; those voted off are then asked to leave the show. It's ironic and funny, but we often feel sad at the well-known parting words made by the host: "Sorry John, you are not the biggest loser". In the end, the participant who has avoided elimination and who has had the highest percentage weight loss, wins the title of being called The Biggest Loser. Whoever came up with that title is probably a millionaire.
I love watching this show mainly because, like many things, I am drawn towards stories of redemption and restoration. For some reason they never fail to hit that tender spot deep inside my heart that says YES!! Maybe it is because it speaks to that place in my spirit that so wants to see and believe in the impossible. I want to know that even in the most seemingly God-forsaken and despairing situations, there is always hope for a new life. Like the people of Japan who are slowly digging their way out of such unforseen devastation. If not for hope, where would they be?
But this road to recovery often only exists if we are willing to walk through the process of digging ourselves out; of removing the layers of fat and debris which have slowly buried our lives. Whether it be things we believe or things put on us in this world (self hatred, rejection, fear, etc.) - it all adds up to the same thing: a multitude of lies which both create and perpetuate this cycle of self destruction. We learn to fill those lonely and painful places with food, subtances, and/or people - which, if you haven't figured out, never truly fill you up and always fail.
But God never fails, and even though The Biggest Loser is not a Christian show, I see the message of Jesus all over it. He comes in the name of love and desires to give us His life in exchange for our own. The key is recognizing you need help - not to do better, but to be better. All other religions and all earthly wisdom is about doing better; they are about human achievement and often seem grossly and unfairly skewed towards those who thrive on rules and discipline. For those of you who don't fit this mold, the Good News is that your failures and inabilities are the ingredients that make for success.
What?
Jesus hung out with people who knew they had obvious problems, who knew they needed more than a rule book or a sermon on positive thinking. In their helplessness to change, they required more than just an overhaul; they needed a completely new life based on a completely new identity. And those who were the biggest losers according to this world's standards ended up being the biggest winners.....according to God's standards.
Why?
Because they instinctively knew that lasting freedom came not from simply changing their behavior, but from allowing true transformation to occur - from the inside out. They looked in the eyes of Jesus and saw not.... condemnation, but hope and love, and the chance for a new life. He gave them an opportunity to be called sons and daughter of God - not by their good works, but simply by trusting and believing in the only One who is truly good. They put up the white flag and said, "I surrender! I need You!"
On the show, The Biggest Loser, the process of change is intense and often taps into those places of deep insecurity and doubt. The contestants have to learn to trust their "trainers" and commit themselves to the process no matter how difficult and painful it gets - and boy does it! Through blood, sweat, and tears they are pushed to their limits, and surprisingly learn that they can often go way beyond these limits to places they had no idea existed within themselves. And it is from that core place that a new identity emerges, exuding a hope, courage and freedom that would not have been discovered had they not been in such a bad state to begin with and had they seen the choice between life and death.
It is so exciting to witness the progression of faith growing as the weight and the lies (of this world) literally come off and you begin to see the person they were meant to be. Yet had they known what it would take to get there, they probably would have run away screaming in terror.
Maybe that's why God doesn't tell us everything. Or maybe that's why He doesn't answer our shortsighted prayers for relief. He knows just what it takes to remove the layers from His masterpiece - which, BTW, has your name on it. And He will do everything within His power (if we are willing) - to make us into the people He created us to be. God does this not to make us into better people, but people whose lives are completely transformed by His love;
And His hope is that we will, in turn, reach down with His love to those who cannot see the beauty God placed deep within them; to be people who are willing to get down in the muck and mire and dig deep for the hidden treasure - the person of unquestionable worth - made worthy by the Son of God.
I want to be one of those people. And one day, God help me, I long to hear the words:
"Karen - you are now the Biggest Loser!"
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