Uncomfortable Fit

Have you ever been too big for your britches? 

In my adult life I have spent far too much time playing a game with fluctuating body weight. I let my good
eating and exercise habits go until I am uncomfortable then get disgusted with myself and switch back the other direction. It's been an up-and-down adventure for years. The turning point always comes when my waistline expands so much that it's extremely uncomfortable because I've literally become "too big for my britches." When that happens it becomes difficult to breathe, I feel incredibly unhealthy, and I make the people around me miserable as my own self-image suffers. The only way to make a change is to become humble enough to recognize the habits that led me to this point and discover the discipline to create positive life patterns that will decrease my waistline.

Of course the same effects are true when my pride gets out of control and I act like I'm "too big for my britches." I make it hard for people around me to breathe as I suck all the energy and positive momentum out of the room. I am emotionally, mentally, and spiritually unhealthy. My surging pride makes the people around me miserable as the focus becomes centered entirely on my own issues & ambitions. Sadly, it often takes a radical event to see the reality of prideful actions and the damage that's being caused. The remedy is very similar the physical one as well: humility that helps me to recognize the habits that have led me to this point and the discipline to create life patterns that will shift focus to God and others.

Neither of these realizations (and the process that follows) are enjoyable, but the derived benefit from lasting change is worth the effort.