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Joyce Ainsworth
Brandon, Mississippi
People say a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree! A picture also reveals truth, just like the scales do. That is probably why I never really liked having mine made. I have avoided the truth, like so many of us have a tendency to do. I hear so many people say I want to be small again or the size I was back when, but the truth is I have always been big. All my life my “family heritage” has been that we are all big. I have never known anything else. I, like so many others, have used all the excuses in the book of why being overweight is acceptable and for me unavoidable, a lie I told myself for way too many years. I have also tried every diet and weight loss program that was ever created. Sure, I would lose a small amount of weight, but then I would go back to my old lifestyle, and guess what? All the weight came back plus a little more.
A few years ago, out of sheer desperation, I started attending a First Place class and I said to myself, “This is your last hope!” I was so miserable, discontented, and unhappy with myself. The smile on my face was a fake and was covering much pain and suffering. I kept asking the Lord to free me from this desperate battle that I seem to constantly fight within myself. How could a Christian struggle with this bondage?
I weighed in at 339 pounds. I had much to lose; so much so that I almost gave up hope. However, with the help of some great leaders, a wonderful support system and much commitment and sacrifice, I made it through that first session of First Place and I can honestly say God has radically changed my life! Jeremiah 33:3 is my life verse and when I committed to First Place, He began to make that verse, Call unto me and I will answer thee and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know very real to me. That is a promise from the heart of God to me that has sustained me through this journey. I am not alone! The God of the Universe loves me and wants to help me make it to the Promise Land to that abundant life, which is God’s desire for all of us.
What a journey God has allowed me to travel! I have taken quite a few classes since then and now help lead and teach First Place here at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, Ms. In September 2006, we started our first class here at Crossgates. I weighed in at 226 pounds. In August 2007, I weighed in at 192.4 pounds, and because my journey is not over, I intend to start our new class at 184 pounds wearing a size 14 pants. At this point I have lost 155 pounds (a whole person), but may I say the things that I have gained far outweigh what I have lost. God has given me “new life” and it started on the inside. Because of the change made there, God has changed the outside, too! The most important thing I have gained is freedom from the bondage of overeating. I am no longer enslaved to the power of food. When Christ sets us free we are free indeed!
What First Place has given me is the opportunity to become all Christ wants me to be. I have learned that balance is necessary in all parts of my life. This is not a diet but a lifestyle change and the truth is my old life was never a good one and certainly not one that I want to ever go back to! My journey is not over and I am thankful that the Lord is not finished with me yet! The most important thing for you to know is that I am committed to serving Jesus Christ through this program. I believe this program works, but it only works because of Jesus! He is the center and focus of this journey that we are embarking on together. Get ready! God is about to radically change your life. I can honestly say He has truly changed mine!
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