A Simple Self-Discipline Tip

AfterJoy-Discipline

I don’t like cleaning the kitchen, but I love a clean kitchen.

What is a girl to do?

Here are my options:

A.  Don’t clean the kitchen and leave it dirty

B.  Clean the kitchen and enjoy a clean kitchen

C.  Get somebody else to clean it for me

For me, choice ‘A’ wasn’t an option. I can’t stand a messy kitchen.

Choice ‘C’ wasn’t an option either. My husband Mike and I agreed before we married that I would handle the kitchen and he would do the laundry.

I like doing the laundry even less than cleaning the kitchen! So I had no interest in switching chores with him.

So that left me with option B.

How do I get myself to clean the kitchen, even though I don’t like it?

Let’s look at Jesus’ example and how He got through doing something He did not want to do:

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

– Hebrews 12:2

This scripture says that Jesus endured the pain and shame of the cross for a reason: For the joy that was set before Him.

And what was that joy?

The joy was in fulfilling His Father’s will and seeing you and me reconciled to God when we accept Him as our Savior!

That’s what I call the “After-Joy.” It is the joy that comes after making a right choice.

Jesus endured the cross’ torment for hours, but now He has joy eternally.

He sits in honor at the Father’s right hand, rejoicing over every sinner who repents!

I am so glad that Jesus chose the “after-joy” for me. How about you?

Back to option B and my kitchen dilemma. I focused on the joy set before me.

I saw past the messy kitchen all the way to the finished, clean kitchen.

As I washed each dish…wiped the counters…swept the floor… I kept seeing the clean kitchen that I wanted.

And guess what? I got the clean kitchen after taking action step-by-step!

I repeat those steps day-by-day to maintain the clean kitchen.

This brings me to your health and weight loss goals. You too have options.

A. Don’t build good health habits and stay overweight
B. Build good health habits day-by-day and enjoy a fitter body

Now some people try to add a ‘C’ and ‘D’ option too:

C. Hate your overweight body, believing that self-hatred will get you fit

D. Read books and articles about weight loss, believing that just reading about health will get you fit

To show you the futility of C and D, let’s go back to my kitchen:

  • If I hated my messy kitchen really hard, would that get it clean? No.
  • If I read many books about effective cleaning techniques but didn’t do any of it, would that get my kitchen clean? No.

The only way to get a clean kitchen is to appreciate what I have while taking steps daily to clean the kitchen.

Hating the messy kitchen will get me nowhere, plus it shows ingratitude for having a kitchen at all.

Reading a book about effective cleaning techniques would only be helpful if I put what I learned into practice when I clean the kitchen.

Do you have a vision of a fitter body and why you want it? If you can see the reward, you will do the daily work!

What one right choice will you make today so that you can start living in the “after-joy”?

”After-joy” certainly feels better than a lifetime of regret over missing out on the life you want!

Be Blessed with Health, Healing, and Wholeness,

Kimberly Taylor

Author of the Take Back Your Temple program

P.S. Do you struggle with overeating sugar? If so, you are not alone!

Overcoming sugar addiction was a key factor on my weight loss journey; I lost 85 pounds and dropped from a size 22 to an 8.

In our 14-day Sugar Detox Challenge online course (inside the Take Back Your Temple program), you’ll get the same success strategies and support to gain peace in your eating habits and achieve lasting weight loss.

Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program.

“Prayer for Weight Loss”

About the author 

Kimberly Taylor

Kimberly Taylor is a certified Christian life coach and has a heart to help others struggling with emotional eating and weight loss. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify of God’s goodness and healing power to overcome. She lost 85 pounds as a result of implementing techniques to overcome emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

Kim is the author of "The Take Back Your Temple Program," which teaches Christians how to take control of their weight God's way and the books "The Weight Loss Scriptures" and "The Weight Loss Prayers."

Kim has been featured in Prevention Magazine, Charisma Magazine and on CBN’s 'The 700 Club' television program.

  • Ironically today’s message at my local church had to do with How to Grown Your Gratitude. During the service and during communion I was just so thankful for the beautiful body I’ve been given. It is able to do so much and I’m doing it a disservice by my ingratitude and me taking my body for granted. God lives inside of me and the least I can do is to take care of this wonderful creation and gift!!! Thank you Jesus for changing me moment by moment. Amen

  • This is an wonderful article! Thankyou Kimberly ! It SO pertains to everything in this weight loss journey ! Cleaning the kitchen/house, getting rid of old bad habits, committing and sticking to exercise , cleaning out the old big clothes, cleaning out the closets and getting rid of clutter in my life ! I feel so much better when I do it !!! I also feel so blessed to be able to be”Taking care of this temple” and all the blessings in my life!

    • Exactly, Debbie – when you take the time to clean and organize things in your life, it makes life SO much easier…even though may not always be easy during the process. May the Lord bless you as you ”lighten” up your life 🙂

  • This was so timely. I feel like this right now, both with my dirty kitchen and my health. Thanks for the appropriate application of a scripture to the situation. I’m fired up to change both habits.

    • Praise God! As you take action on both of these things day by day, your confidence will soar and you will feel good that you are doing the right thing. May the Lord bless you as you take action on your kitchen and your health 🙂

    • It’s a day-by-day process, Janet. As long as you focus on making those wise choices day by day, then you can have confidence that you will reach your weight loss goal in due season. The surest way to miss out on that is to do nothing.

    • You are welcome, Kathy! It is so easy to lose sight of our priorities in the busy-ness of life. But when we keep our eyes on the Father’s business, He helps us keep the main thing, the main thing 🙂

  • Wow this was really helpful! I will not only apply this to my weight loss, but I will also apply this to my study, because I hate studying but I do like good grades. Thanks for this article❤️

    • Ha, ha, ha Sage – so glad you found that helpful. Now get out there and get after those good grades with the Lord’s help 🙂

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