Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I’m expecting transformation every day.  Awakening each morning should signal that I have a new chance to move closer to my goals and to make progress in all areas.  Making the most of each day for me means I will probably have to break away from the pack and pick a better path for myself.

If we simply think about health and fitness, the people of our nation are heading toward unhealthy lifestyles of inactivity and obesity.  Clearly, I shouldn’t conform to that standard.  The CDC (Center for Disease Control) documents the rapid increase in our overweight and obese population over the last 20 years.  Clearly, this is not ideal nor is this what God desires for us.  We are frequently reminded about the consequences of this negative trend.  Coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, Cancer and Hypertension all top the list.  Rarely, do we hear the impact on our mental health.

Simply focusing every day on the weight we did not lose and want to lose can impact the quality of the day.  Often being overweight or obese results in a lack of energy.  Combine that lack of energy with diet and exercise frustration and it is easy to imagine that a positive outlook may be hard to maintain.  This could become a vicious circle.  However, we can be set free by renewing our mind each and every day.

Before beginning to renew our minds, we need to have a clear focus.  Romans 12:1 can help direct us.  Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.   

There are days I need to remind myself that I need to sacrifice and not eat the third serving of ice cream.  In that moment, I do need to connect my sacrifice to something larger than that second.  I need to be connected to both my goal and my worship of the Lord.

One other critical part of the day, is to worship God with thanksgiving for the body that welcomed you into the day.  No matter how close are far we feel from our health and fitness goals, we have made it to this second in the bodies that God has gifted to us.  Thank you, Jesus!  Praise the Lord!  Making it to yet another day is such a blessing.  When we look at our day through the lense of blessings, it is easier to be and stay positive. 

Let’s renew our minds for today and again for tomorrow.  I know I need to continue to renew my mind as I work to complete my transformation.