Healthy dose of faith does a body good

All my life I prayed to be free from the prison of obesity -- morbid obesity, that is. I tried pills, shots, shakes, no carbs, no fat, low calorie diets, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and countless other programs -- all with some results but never long term. With every failed attempt, I prayed even harder because I knew from reading the bible that God wanted me to be in good health. And I was not. Sure there were times along the way when I thought He'd turned a deaf ear but even deeper than that shallow thought was a stronger belief that He did hear me. And He would answer. I did not know when but I knew that He would. When He answered, I had no doubt that I was doing the right thing.

Everything about my gastric bypass experience was divine. I knew when I began my research that I was headed in the right direction, for me. All of my pre-op testing was a breeze when I'd heard of delays and issues. My insurance company approved it right away and I was scheduled within a month. Even greater was the fact that it cost me $165 out of pocket. A friend working at the same company with the same insurance at the same hospital with the same surgeon paid $4,000, the standard 10% co-pay. I called and called and insisted that the bill should be more. They assured me it should not. I paid what was due and have never received another bill.

My faith kept me believing that there was an answer to obesity and that I would have a new life. It motivated me to resist the 400 pounds I was embracing and take the scale in a new direction: Down. It made me hold on when I wanted to give up. Even now, it keeps me humble in a sea of vanity. Compliments come and go and I'm flattered but in my heart, I smile because I know He led me to this place. Sometimes I run and so do the tears because my faith saw me running when I couldn't climb a flight of stairs. I'm no preacher, just a believer and a witness that faith works. God works. Believe.