Tears on the Scale

Ha! I know what you are thinking.  She got on the scale and started crying.  Sorry, no such luck.  Due to a week of illness in my house, I personally just avoided the scale (because I use the scale at the YMCA and I didn't make it to the Y this week!)

No, the tears I'm talking about came from the show "The Biggest Loser." Anybody else watch this show?  I LOVE it. I used to watch it while eating a bowl (or two) of ice cream.  Now, I'm taking big steps to eating popcorn while watching the show.  Anyway, this week they had the dreaded "Red Line" at the weigh in .  After all of the contestants weighed in, who ever had the least percentage of weight loss dropped below the Red Line and were automatically sent home.  As the beginning of the show is happening they keep showing this girl and her dad working out.  He does not want her to fall below the red line so he is on her all week to make sure she is working extra hard.  She is one of the smallest girls there so he was concerned. They show him waking her up at 5:30 a.m. and hitting the gym.  There are three other parents there with their kids.  They are also extremely concerned about their kids going home before they do.  Ok, there's the set up.

So, it's time for the weigh-in and blah, blah, blah a few people go, then it's time for the girl and her dad.  She loses 7 lbs and he loses 11 lbs.  You ROCK!  Then the other dad... He gains 2 lbs.  The first mom... Gains 1 lb.  The second mom.. GAINS 8 POUNDS.  Her daughter starts crying.  Awesome drama for NBC.  And then she explains.  "Allison, you are a mom..." and begins to tell how she just could not let her daughter or one of these "kids" go home.  She said the reason her daughter had the problem in the first place was because of her, and she wanted to make sure she got the chance to finish the change.

 The rest of the contestants are crying.  I am crying. Wow.

(This is the BEFORE picture of Deni and her daughter.  She had lost a ton before she left)


First of all, Kudos to her for telling the truth.  There have been many times in this show where people obviously throw the weigh-in and they won't admit it.  Like they can fool all of America.  Sorry, I digressed. ;)  What a sacrificial gift.  It definitely tugged on my mom heart.  She loved her daughter enough to put her first.  I think for most moms, if it could ever be you instead of them, you would take it.  My kids are little and I already have felt this way so many times.  I don't want them to experience physical hurt, emotional pain, disapointment or failure.

After the crying stopped they showed a clip of the dad who lost 11 lbs.  He said something to the effect of  "sure it was nice what she did, but she went about it the wrong way."  He didn't want his daughter to go home and so he pushed her.  He didn't take three steps back just in case she had a bad week.  He helped make sure she had done the work for a good week.

Let's not get into a discussion about whether the other girls did all they could, or who was right, or who was wrong.  Instead... this is what came out of it for me.

How amazing is the love of a parent to a child.  Elizabeth Stone said "“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." I resonate with this quotation so much.  I can't even put into words what I would do for my children.  I am by no means the perfect mom.  But, I absolutely love my children.  So much that when I even think about the possibility of something happening to them I can hardly take it.   And when it comes down to something important, I would do anything for them.  I can't promise them the biggest house or best clothes, but I can give them love.  And when you stop and really think about the love you have for your children, you have one of the best pictures we can have on earth of God's love for us.  Imagine, His love is greater than the love you have for your children.  (I know, some of you are bringing out your mama-bear boxing gloves.."It's not greater than my love." "NOTHING is greater than MY love." Settle down. :)  Maybe not anything on earth.  But, God loves us more than we can imagine.

Last summer, the kids at Mega Sports Camp learned this song.  It gave me chills...

Your love is deep. 
Your love is high.
Your love is long.
Your love is wide.

Your love is deeper than my view of grace
Higher than this worldly place
Longer than this road I've traveled
Wider than the gap you fill.

Go ahead.  Savor the love God has for you. 

All of this sparked from an episode of "The Biggest Loser." I guess watching TV is a productive use of my time. :)