A sunny but cool 60 degree day finally arrived in Michigan\nand I couldn\u2019t wait to slide into my favorite fall skinny jeans. After digging\nthem out from under the shorts and tees, I slid both legs in and easily zipped\nthem up. But they felt weird. The waist fit the same as I remembered from last\nyear, but the legs\u2026 OH MY FREAKIN\u2019 GOSH\u2026. What\u2019s\nup with the legs of these jeans? Did someone shrink the legs of these jeans\nover the summer? Who\u2019s washing my jeans on the HOT\/HOT cycle and drying them a\nthousand times in the HOT\/HOT dryer? Wait, are these even my jeans???<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth: the skinny legs on the skinny jeans were strangling\nmy legs \u2013 and NOT because the jeans had changed. My legs were fatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO’S TO BLAME?<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

At first I was mad at God. He\u2019s an easy target because you can\u2019t see Him and see how sad you\u2019re making him with your anger. I told God I\u2019ve been praying about my weight and He doesn\u2019t seem to hear me. I\u2019m sick of you not listening to me God\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I got mad at Weight Watchers. Come on, you silly WW\npeople! What good are you if you don\u2019t help actual people lose actual weight???\nBut then I remembered I hadn\u2019t been to a meeting all year. Apparently, just\npaying the monthly dues does nothing to get the weight off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also got angry at Planet Fitness (see above paragraph for same irrational logic).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as soon as I descended the stairs, nearly popping open\nthe side-seams of my now skinnier-than-ever skinny jeans, I realized an important\nconcept:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUR BAD CHOICES HAVE A RIPPLE (NO PUN INTENDED) EFFECT. THEY CANNOT BE CONTAINED TO ONE SMALL AREA OF OUR LIFE. THEY IMPACT THE ENTIRETY OF OUR BEING.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It would be nice if when I overeat, I only experience a\nlittle weight gain in say, my armpits, toes, or behind my ears where no one\nwould notice. But in reality, weight gain affects our ENTIRE being. The effects\nare not only experienced externally, it also leaves a grievous impact on\ninternal things like stress on major organs, hardened and narrowed blood\nvessels, as well as our ability to fight infection and regulate our hormones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, whenever we make bad choices about how we think,\nlive, or treat others, those choices are like cancer and they will affect the\nWHOLE of us. And the WHOLE of us will look and feel a little bit sicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AND FAT LEGS CAN LOOK LIKE A LOT OF THINGS:<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When we get drunk and act gross or disgusting and then brush it off as \u201cjust having a little fun\u201d \u2013 IT\u2019S FAT LEGS, for sure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We canNOT think our little \u201cissue\u201d with gossiping is\nharmless \u2013 IT\u2019S FAT LEGS, PEOPLE!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we tell little white lies to make ourselves look better \u2013\nremember, IT\u2019S ACTUALLY FAT LEGS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may be so caught up in a culture of materialism that we\ndon\u2019t even consider there is a relational price to pay for our choices. But\nwhat is it really? FAT LEGS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may believe no one is hurt by our pornography addiction.\nThis one is FAT LEGS AND THIGHS!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fun to go shopping for retail therapy and think it\u2019s\nharmless. But is it? FAT LEGS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if treating our spouses with disrespect is so habitual\nwe contend it\u2019s no big deal, remember\u2026 FAT LEGS!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s so prevalent in this society to spend hours on social\nmedia thinking it has no ramifications in our life. FAT LEGS, PEOPLE!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WE MUST OWN OUR ILLNESS<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The hard truth is, all these things, and thousands of other bad choices we make daily, really do affect ALL of our being. We cannot contain our poor choices to only one aspect of our being and simultaneously applaud ourselves for being (mostly) healthy. It doesn\u2019t work like that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ripple affect of sin in our lives \u2013 in any form, in any\narea \u2013 is an overall sick person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever we let bad choices, bad habits, bad thoughts creep\ninto our everyday, the result will always be ALL AROUND less-healthy\nindividuals. And it shouldn\u2019t surprise us if someday we wake up with fat legs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A sunny but cool 60 degree day finally arrived in Michigan and I couldn\u2019t wait to slide into my favorite fall skinny jeans. After digging them out from under the shorts and tees, I slid both legs in and easily zipped them up. But they felt weird. The waist fit the same as I remembered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,24,1],"tags":[67,106],"yoast_head":"\n