Is this God's will for me?

Hi everyone, I've been lurking on the general board as well as the Ohio board but was thrilled when I found the Christian board. I'm in the process of considering WLS and doing plenty of research as well as lots of prayer. I only want to have this surgery if I know it's God's will for me, but I'm struggling to know if my own will is getting in the way of hearing God. Did anyone else struggle with this when making your initial decision to have WLS? Any feedback will be appreciated and I'll be visiting here often as I start my journey with WLS.

Hi Denise, welcome to this board. I think every christian has had those same thoughts before deciding on this surgery. Speaking for myself I went through alot of different emotions, sometimes feeling guilty for wanting it, sometimes feeling I wasn't a strong enough christian, for not being able to loose the weight on my own. But as I continued to pray, the Lord would just open one door at a time. At one point I had been accepted by insurance to have this, then I found out my insurance would not cover the hospital. I was devastated and felt like God had shut the doors. After a good long cry I realized that I needed to keep seeking out other ways to have it. I just didn't have the peace that it was time to give up. It is a journey, but as long as your eyes our focused on him, I believe he will direct your path. It's been a little over 2 years for me, and Iam so grateful that the Lord allowed me to have this. Hope this helps. Keep posting your concerns so we can all pray for you. Blessings Geri

Denise, Geri is right, we have all been where you are with the feelings and guilt. It took 5 years for me to get to this point, once I made up my mind to open my mind to what God was trying to show me. I found a Peace about it and a determination to go through the process. I am almost through with the process one or two more steps and then I too will be happy to say for once I am a loser! God bless you and may he give you assurance and peace. di

Thanks for your kind words Geri and Pastor Di. It helps to know others have struggled with the same thing. I do believe God has just put someone else into my life to help me with the process. It is a lady who was referred to me by my hairdresser. This lady is a bariatric patient (2 yrs. out) who is also a therapist and focuses on counseling to people who eat emotionally and are considering bariatric surgery. I'll be getting in touch with her today to pick her brains and might even consider seeing her professionally to help with the inevitable grieving of losing food as my best friend. Thanks again for your supportive messages! I always love getting to know more sisters (and brothers) in Christ!

In 3 John 2 Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. The word health in Greek is hugiaino which means to be sound in body, in good health. I believe God wants us to be in "good" everything! If we are healthy whi*****ludes being able to breath, walk around, work for the Lord in the callings He has given us, obesity has to be out of the picture. Does that mean that obese people are unusable to the Lord? Of course not! He loves us and I was usable last year when I weighed 347 lbs. But I can now do more things for Him at 170 lbs. Here is what the Lord gave me when I was contemplating surgery: God created us in His image, we were perfect in every area but sin entered the Garden and we wanted more. Now that sin is in the world, things are not perfect anymore including the food we eat, the air we breath and our perfect bodies have become polluted with all this "sin" and we for some reason become obese. Whether from bad eating habits or metabolism I don't think it matters at all to God because it is the result of the imperfections in this world. In heaven I don't think we will be obese -- I think we will have the perfect bodies that God created for us. Is it God's will for us as Christian women? I firmly believe it is. My whole life has changed with Christ in the center of it even more so now than last year. Now I can get down on the floor, on my face and worship my Lord and Savior in the humility that I longed to have for Him for so long. Close yours eyes and listen with your whole body to what He is saying to you and I believe you will hear your Savior say: "be in health". Blessings to you.

Denise...Thank you, Thank you for posting your question...I have so been struggling with the same. I have just started allowing myself to even think that God could use WLS for me, and yes I have the same feelings that have been shared in the other replies. I have wanted so much for God to get ALL the GLORY in my weight loss, that I have been fearful (hmmmm thats not of God) to even look into WLS, but then one night I came across this awesome website and I seem to keep coming back...As we both continue to seek and pray, I will be praying for you!! GOD BLESS....

Denise and Dawn, there are a lot of us Christians that are struggling with this. I have just begun really looking into WLS and I started doubting that this is what God wants. I have been praying in my journal for some help with this decsion. I am still not sure I am doing what God wants but I will keep praying. I go for an initial doctors appt. on Octber 5, 2004 with my PCP to talk about WLS. I will be praying for all of us on this message board. God bless all of you. I am new to the Obesityhelp.com. I am truely glad they have this Christian message board. This is such a **sigh** relief.