Faith Matters! Or Faith Matters?

[swizzly 901]

Swizzly, I'm sorry you have such a distorted view of God. I hope something sometime somewhere will show you what God is really like. He cares just as much about you as He does about those starving children. Kathe

Thanks, GrannyK. Though I don't think it's distorted at all -- by just about any reasonable measure, God clearly cares far more about me than about the starving children.

[LizTex2587 212]

However much any of us agree or disagree with someone elses views, please don't jump on them for how they feel. Just be understanding. None of us know what has happened to others that makes them feel the way they do. This is not the venue in which to have that kind of debate or conversation. I started the topic to see how much a persons faith guides their decisions regarding this surgery. I find that certain conversations are best done in a one-on-one manner rather than in a public forum... but I do thank everyone for their input!

[ebbygirl 5]

Faith is important to me as well. I felt that doors were open to me that I needed to walk through. I never thought I would have bariatric surgery. I thought it was the easy way out. Well I learned pretty quickly that is the farthest thing from the truth. Going to support groups and meetings showed me that it was a huge commitment. I had to be willing to give up some life styles choices. No caffeine. No alcohol. Eating food that is cold. (because it takes so long to eat). And I have to tell you, I do like hot food. Not drinking with your meal. That was and is hard for me. Slowing down to eat. So I had to figure out how important was this to me. I was living in the shadowlands. A gray world. My weight was truly pulling me down. I knew that this was not God's best for me. So I walked through those doors. Each time when I got prep work done, I would question myself and all I knew was that I wanted to be healthy. So, I got the surgery done 7/25. It was not a breeze. I did have complications. I was in the hospital for 9 days. Went home with a PICC line for 2 months. I ended up having extreme swelling. Had to stay with my parents for a month while I recuperated. I am fine now. But it was hard to trust in the Lord. I could not feel his presence. I had a hard time praying. Thank you Lord for having wonderful family around me to pray when I could not. I am so happy for all of you who had surgery with no problems. I guess this was something I just had to walk through. I am rejoicing now that I am on the other side. I have lost a total of 57 pounds since my first weigh in this February. I have been off the PICC for a week and a half. All I can say is thank you Jesus.

[LizTex2587 212]

Faith is important to me as well. I felt that doors were open to me that I needed to walk through. I never thought I would have bariatric surgery. I thought it was the easy way out. Well I learned pretty quickly that is the farthest thing from the truth. Going to support groups and meetings showed me that it was a huge commitment. I had to be willing to give up some life styles choices. No caffeine. No alcohol. Eating food that is cold. (because it takes so long to eat). And I have to tell you, I do like hot food. Not drinking with your meal. That was and is hard for me. Slowing down to eat. So I had to figure out how important was this to me. I was living in the shadowlands. A gray world. My weight was truly pulling me down. I knew that this was not God's best for me. So I walked through those doors. Each time when I got prep work done, I would question myself and all I knew was that I wanted to be healthy. So, I got the surgery done 7/25. It was not a breeze. I did have complications. I was in the hospital for 9 days. Went home with a PICC line for 2 months. I ended up having extreme swelling. Had to stay with my parents for a month while I recuperated. I am fine now. But it was hard to trust in the Lord. I could not feel his presence. I had a hard time praying. Thank you Lord for having wonderful family around me to pray when I could not. I am so happy for all of you who had surgery with no problems. I guess this was something I just had to walk through. I am rejoicing now that I am on the other side. I have lost a total of 57 pounds since my first weigh in this February. I have been off the PICC for a week and a half. All I can say is thank you Jesus.

im sorry to hear that you had such trying complications but I'm glad that you are doing better! Congratulations on your weight loss!! Keep it up! Great story!

[shrinkydinkme 221]

My faith in Jesus is a priority to me and I know that this sleeve surgery was part of his plan for me. Over 25 years I prayed, was prayed for and always returned to my self destructive eating habits. I was unable to come to peace with gastric bypass for myself after 2 years of trying to, and mentioned it to a friend who told me about the sleeve. I learned that the sleeve removed the concerns I had about WLS and when I shared my desire with my husband and closest friends we prayed and they agreed, it would be a good choice for me. I know that God wants freedom from addictions and felt that in my case He desired to use a surgery to bring that. Would I think it was wrong for a drug addict to undergo surgery if it brought them freedom - of course not.

I had surgery 2+ months ago and all has been simple and smooth with no complications or struggles to get in liquid, Protein, or any real foods. Still, I can remember questioning my decision a few weeks out from surgery - just my human nature. Then I came across and read a letter I wrote 26 years ago that talked about food controling me instead of me controlling it. That timely reminder confirmed for me that this God choice was the right one for me and I go back to that moment, reading that letter when ever I doubt. My God is so faithful to me, even when I am faithless.

[LizTex2587 212]

My faith in Jesus is a priority to me and I know that this sleeve surgery was part of his plan for me. Over 25 years I prayed, was prayed for and always returned to my self destructive eating habits. I was unable to come to peace with gastric bypass for myself after 2 years of trying to, and mentioned it to a friend who told me about the sleeve. I learned that the sleeve removed the concerns I had about WLS and when I shared my desire with my husband and closest friends we prayed and they agreed, it would be a good choice for me. I know that God wants freedom from addictions and felt that in my case He desired to use a surgery to bring that. Would I think it was wrong for a drug addict to undergo surgery if it brought them freedom - of course not.

I had surgery 2+ months ago and all has been simple and smooth with no complications or struggles to get in liquid, Protein, or any real foods. Still, I can remember questioning my decision a few weeks out from surgery - just my human nature. Then I came across and read a letter I wrote 26 years ago that talked about food controling me instead of me controlling it. That timely reminder confirmed for me that this God choice was the right one for me and I go back to that moment, reading that letter when ever I doubt. My God is so faithful to me, even when I am faithless.

thank you for sharing your fantastic experience!!

[Jackie6 13]

Thank God for my faith. I'm sleeved tomorrow and I have a lot of people praying for me and that helps greatly.

I couldn't have done any of this without prayer and lots of it.

[Neta912 14]

My faith is surely what got me through the surgery and what will continue to carry me through my entire journey! I kept praying and asking God if I was making the right choice. I too kept looking for signs that this wasn't the right choice for me. I kept getting positive feedback/signs every way I turned! So on October 11th I was sleeved! It has been nothing but a positive experience so far!

[ReduceReuseRecycle-Me! 119]

I'll care what God thinks about my fat' date=' white, middle-aged body as soon as it appears that God is at all bothered about teeny, brown children starving to death. Otherwise I find it too horrifying to even consider.[/quote']

Well said!

[LeaveItToSleever 80]

I would like to see how much of a factor having faith in God matters to those who have had the surgery or are in the process of having the surgery.

Having faith in God matters very much to me, but was not a factor.

[Holly5.3 423]

Amen sisters! As I was praying about, meditating on, and researching information it hit me- I thought my obesity and weight issues was just my cross to bare in life-It became clear...I believe and love Jesus -he died on the cross so we didn't have to carry our own! I think my weight was one way that 'evil' (hate to say the devil-sounds hokey!) kept me from loving myself, therefore I can't love others and it was continually pulling me further from God-feeling like a failure as a woman and in not having the strength to take care of my body. Thank you, God, for my surgeon and his staff! I praise you for helping us all!

[iggychic 1,405]

I believe that there are things out there we dont necessarily understand. God, Allah, Karma, who knows. I am spiritual, but have zero faith in one particular god over another. So no, faith had nothing to do with my decision. I based it on rational thought and research.

The traditional christian church is based on a bunch of bs concocted by men mostly over time. Think of all the harm that has been done in the "name of god". I don't have much time for a god who won't take my baby because he was not baptized, or a child "born in sin" etc. All man's creation.

That said I believe in the power of positive thoughts. I believe that when someone (aside from my sister) says they are praying for you, it can only lead to positive karma. So unlike many I don't take offense. I don't know about all of that "gods will" stuff. (I was going to say crap but im too polite heh heh) I am at heart a good person. I have never actually hurt people on purpose. I care for people, not just myself. I'm not a bad egg, and yet if it's "gods will" for me to have suffered abuse as a child, sexual harassment as an adult, watching my little boy suffer for years and seeing seven baby's die, not to mention a leak in my sleeve that almost killed me...I would have to say, what the hell did I do to need all of these lessons? Why does my son have to suffer? why do those brown babies suffer? Nothing good comes of all of this. And frankly I've had my freaking fair share. Spread the lessons will ya?

Oh I was ranting. I had faith in my research. But, we all have to have something we trust in right? If faith makes this journey easier for people, I totally support their position and hope they aren't in the lesson line I"ve been in!

[ReduceReuseRecycle-Me! 119]

Religion and politics...very bad topics.

I agree with Iggychic and the power of positive thought. I have come to realize that todays' religions are just yesterdays' mythologies. Long before Jesus, the Romans and Greeks believed their gods came down and transformed themselves to mate with humans. Isn't that what the christian god did? The only good change in the christian mythologies is that they preached goodness and light, instead of running amok, like the old gods and their followers. The Romans and Greeks (and others) blamed their gods for natural disasters, too. They said they were mad at humans, or they were mad at each other, so they hurled lightning bolts, stirred the seas, shook the earth. When these things happen, we say "God" works in mysterious ways. Where is the difference?

All that said, my faith is in my surgeon and his staff and me.

Good can still exist without a "god" being the source.

[Holly5.3 423]

Wow! Sorry I shared!

[ladydeenj 132]

FAITH MATTERS !!!!!! No need to say anymore !