I can't remember a time when I haven't wanted to lose ten pounds. Looking back, I've only been ten pounds lighter during times of intense grief, extreme anxiety or have had teeth pulled. Evidently, that's when I've shopped the most too, as my closet is full of clothes I could only fit into if I lost ten pounds.

When I meet people who have successfully lost weight, I am always eager to know how they did it. Eat less and exercise more? Oh well, never mind.

But do I really think I would be happier if I weighed less?  The question made me think about what really makes one happy. I listened to a Tim Keller sermon about it and he said happiness is never, ever found by directly seeking it; it is always a by-product of seeking something more than happiness.

The word "blessed" in the Bible is generally defined as happy. The Bible doesn't say "blessed are those who seek after blessedness."  It says, "blessed [happy] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... for they will be filled."  Other verses tell us "not to worry about tomorrow, but to seek after His kingdom and His righteousness and all will be added."

Being filled, lacking nothing and being worry-free sounds like the picture of contentment to me. Yet how difficult it is to stay focused on doing the right thing, when there are so many wrong things everywhere we look.

Ironically enough, the times I've been most focused on (or seeking after) thinness, I've gained weight. As soon as I resolve to eat less, food is all I can think about. If I decide to follow particular food "rules," I become so obsessed with the rules that it robs me of the God-given enjoyment of eating.

As shallow as it is, I can see the parallels. It's all about what we set our minds on.  Happiness is a by-product of making right choices, God's kingdom choices...like honesty, selflessness and gratitude.
We're always better served when we focus on loving more rather than sinning less. 

"Focus on heaven and get earth thrown in. Focus on earth and get neither."
                                                                                                               C.S. Lewis