GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE!!!

I want to share a bit of something today. I teach a Sunday School class at our church where I am blessed to be in a class of "youngsters" who are about the age of my children. Even though my title is teacher, they teach me so much more than I could ever teach them and for that I am so thankful. They keep me focused on sometimes the more simple things of life. In the past few weeks we have had a lot going on in our class with visitors coming to be part of our family, to some coming back we have not seen in a while, we have had some fabulous lessons placed in our path at just the right time and we have just recently watched together and are doing a follow up study of the movie "Fireproof". I received an email this week and last that has truly touched my heart and made me look at the basics of my relationship with the Lord and how I put that relationship in perspective in my daily living. This email helped remind me of the importance of giving God the credit where credit is due and that's what I am talking about today.
When I made the decision to have gastric by-pass surgery, I did so after YEARS of diet after diet ... with many ups and downs. I have gained and lost hundreds of pounds in the course of the past 40 years. The difference this time was that when I made the decision to have surgery, I did it with God on board as my pilot. I made the decision that if I was going to take such drastic measures as to have surgery, I wasn't going to do it alone this time. I know that this is only a tool, and that the surgeons are excellent, and their staff very informative and supportive, but that it would ultimately be up to me ... and that frightened me, because by myself in the past I had not succeeded ... so this time, I needed help ... I needed the help of the only one that could do what I had tried to do by myself and failed at ... I needed the Lord! So before taking on this journey, I prayed that I would allow Him to be my guide, my strength, my pilot on this journey ... but again, I have let Him down. Because, I have not given credit where credit is due ... and it was through communication with one of the "youngsters" in my class that I became aware of that ... I have let Him down just like I let myself down many times before, but you see, He has not let me down!! I am 9 months out this week from surgery and I have lost 131 pounds!! I HAVE NOT done this by myself, because, I still would love to have a bite of chocolate candy tomorrow .... but I am so much stronger this time, but not because of my strength ... it's because of God's !!
So now it the time to share ... I just can't believe I have not shared it here before now. Sharing that although I feel so much better, sharing that I look so much better, sharing that I can get into size 12 & 14 pants, sharing that I made it through milestones of food temptations ... I have failed to share how I have done it ... it has only been through the strength of Jesus ... truly His strength, unconditionally love, unending care ... He is always there, even when I forget to recognize it. Ain't He great!!!!
So thank you Beacons of Light class of Port Norfolk Baptist Church ... and thank you God!!!! Today I give total credit to the Lord, for placing me in a place in my church that I can continually learn from those you put around me and most especially thank you for being there for me, for not giving up on me, and for guiding me on this journey .. my prayer is that I continue to allow you to be in control!!