Beauty shines from a healthy mind, soul and body

For quite a while, I didn't weigh myself cos the last time I weighed, I was more than 1 kg heavier than my usual weight.
I was like so sian and well, I carried on my usual routine of swimming once a week and eating as per normal.
I don't believe in dieting for vanity but I do believe in cutting down on food consumption and exercising more for better health.
With better health, we naturally look better and can function more efficiently for God's work.
I didn't notice the changes in myself, as in I try to eat healthier food when I'm alone. 
I didn't even notice that I have stopped buying that favourite brand of potato chips.
Potato chips had been my favourite junk food since I was a child.
Now when I do grocery shopping, I would buy cherry tomatoes and of cos grapes n fruits.
They become my 'tidbits' when the mouth is itchy.
My cell leader who is a doctor has this practice of not putting the gravy when ordering economic rice and I followed him cos the gravy from the other dishes is more than enough for the rice.
I was and still am aiming to swim twice a week, at least once a month cos to swim once a week is truly not enough!
But the after-effect of swimming is really challenging.
I would be in a panda mode: mind and body slow down and I have to try very hard to stay awake throughout the day since I swim in the morning.
During these months, when I'm with friends, we tend to eat rich food. 
I was like, aiyo, surely gain weight and it didn't cross my mind to weigh myself since I can't imagine my weight exceeding even more than my usual weight.
I came a long way from being nearly 10 kg heavier than my weight now before I learnt to swim.
That was my miracle!
Then my sister suddenly commented that I seemed to have slimmed down.
So today I weighed myself and to my surprise, I lost slightly more than 1 kg and is slightly lighter than my usual weight.
Yeah, back to normal and yes, I think it's possible to lose more weight if I persevere in exercising and being careful with what I eat.
I do eat as per normal when with friends as long as I make sure that I'm consistent with exercising.
I thank God for taking away my cravings for snacks so naturally and subtly that it was not a struggle. 
I don't have the urge to buy tidbits now though TimTam can be a little tempting :D
I'm now a social eater when it comes to eating tidbits.
Thank God that through Him I learnt to swim and it's because of Him that I will never give up this gift that He has given me.
Because of Him, I learnt to be consistent in exercising.
Now that's another miraculous story of how I learnt to swim because of my baptism.
Truly, life is a series of beautiful stories that can only be found in Christ! 
Suddenly, I'm reminded that assumptions make us not dare to do something or to make changes in our lives.
When I assumed that I was gaining weight, I didn't want to weigh myself.
And the outcome is so different from what I have assumed!
We assume that because God is loving and merciful, He will not discipline us when we sin.
We assume that we know God's word when in fact we don't even know Him.
We assume that when we stay in our tiny world and not venture out, we are safe but in truth, we have not lived life and are in a greater danger.
We assume that the lies of this world would not deceive us but with this assumption comes the greatest lie: we are already deceived.
What do we do with assumptions?
Test them with the word of God!
I'm so glad that the authority of God is in His word such that we don't have to look right or left but look straight into His word and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.
My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
What I do with my body reflects how I value this body that God has created.
For vanity or for health?
The latter anytime.
And then beauty shines from a healthy mind, soul and body.