For All Who Are Sucking in the Gut

It came in the mail yesterday, what I have been mistakenly calling my “mother-in-law” dress. Someone said to me, I think you mean the mother-of-the-bride dress. Okay, that too.

I asked my mom on the phone last night, So, is it bad that I can only zip it if I exhale all oxygen from my lungs?

I ordered the size I want to be.

My daughter takes a picture of me in the dress, so I can send it to my mom, and I pull a David Hasselhoff, sucking in my gut so I look AWESOME. Hurry, take the picture!

Throwing a juvenile tantrum about the state of my body, I go to the calendar and count the days till the wedding.

75

Now who can’t breathe?

Okay, so mom says to send the dress back for one bigger size, and I’m screaming, No! on the inside but saying, Good idea, mom over the phone. Because really, instead of adjusting the dress size I want to adjust me. I want to look good and feel good and not have an abdomen that needs more fabric to leave room for jiggling.

So as I’m working out this morning (desperately hoping this one day of working out is going to DO IT), I marvel at the thoughts of wedding crisscrossing over the top of grief in losing my dad.

Both events remind me I’m look forward to something I hope I’m ready for.

Someday I’ll be with the church –me and you, standing in front of Jesus. And oh wow –we do not want to be caught having to suck in our spiritual guts then.

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:44 NIV)

Time to kick it in gear on the treadmill and in the soul.