Karen Arnett
Evans, Georgia

When I was four years old, I went to live with my grandparents for a few months. When my parents came to get me, they hardly recognized me. My grandmother had fed me very well.

Although I was a very active child, I remained overweight. Looking back, I know I mostly overate from boredom. Diets wouldn’t work because I used food to keep me busy, to comfort me and to push down any anxiety that I had.

It wasn’t until I found First Place that I came to realize that only God could truly help me. Only by committing all of my life to Him and disciplining myself could I overcome my eating problem. With the help and support of people who cared, I was able to commit myself wholeheartedly to God and follow the First Place program.

God has blessed me in all areas of my life since then. I have lost 245 pounds and 83 1/2 inches. I have gone from a size 56 to a 10 or 12. I have been able to maintain for three months now. At one time I had great difficulty just standing in the back of a room and talking. Now I am a First Place leader and I give my testimony at local churches. It is amazing what God has done in my life.

When I was overweight, I was not a testimony to who God was and to the power He had in my life. I didn’t use the power He had given me. But now God has used the weakest area of my life to exhibit His power.

I would like to remind all of you that each part of the First Place program is important. If we will keep all of our commitments, First Place works. Each commitment builds on the others. Each commitment supports the others. Don’t take your commitments lightly. You aren’t committing to your leader, your spouse or your friend; you are committing to God. God is faithful. He never breaks a promise. Each of the promises in His Word is a commitment to us. He is calling us to faithfulness. When you make a commitment, you are making a promise to be faithful.

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