New Body Weight

Many people often start the new year with resolutions. Personally, I’m never really been into new year’s resolutions. Goals and hopes, dreams and desires, yes, perhaps. Resolutions, no. Nevertheless, having said that, I somehow ended up with a frivolous new year’s resolution on NYE recently when I went away to central Gippsland with a few good friends. And so, here it is. My 2007 new year’s resolution is to try and put on more weight by whatever means possible.

I say 'try' because having been blessed with such a high metabolism rate, any protein intake simply gets sucked away instantly into the metabolic dark hole. Yes, according to the charts, I am now at the bottom end of the normal weight range for the average man of my height (or in other words, on the borderline of being underweight). I attribute it all to drinking too much water and consuming far too little or no soft drinks whatsoever and not having a bloody single sweet tooth. Not that I'm about to change all that! My dentist tells me my teeth couldn’t be better and my GP tells me it’s better to be underweight than overweight - which I fully agree with him - and that I shouldn’t worry too much so long as my weight remains stable (which it has for the last 10 years) and doesn't drop any further.

Well, after being asked the umpteenth time yet again by relatives or friends, “Have you lost weight?”, I am now endeavouring to try and put on some weight. One way is to increase my protein intake level among other things. So all you chickens, fish, cows and pigs, here I come! My weight is currently 56kg – so one year from today, I’ll let you know how I’ve fared.

Onto a more serious note, though, the start of the year can be an important time for many people. People make new plans or set new goals and resolutions. For me, it’s the start of a new career in a new city with totally new friends and colleagues and in a field related to my heart’s desires, something God has faithfully honoured. Yes, siree, I am about to move to Canberra and go into the government public service, albeit with a deep quiet hope for the future. I am looking forward to all the people that His truly will put in my path– for me to learn from, to have my patience tested by, to encourage or to challenge or to have my heart broken by.

On that note, I’d like to share a prayer by Leunig and also to reiterate the Micah Call which I’ve reparaphrased slightly – a 'calling' I intend to bring with me to Canberra and beyond.

Prayer by Leunig
(From ‘A Common Prayer: A Cartoonist Talks to God’ Michael Leunig, 1990)

God, help us to change.
To change ourselves and to change our world.
To know the need for it.
To deal with the pain of it.
To feel the joy of it.
To undertake the journey
Without understanding the destination.

The art of gentle revolution.
Amen.

The Micah Call (Reparaphrased)

We commit ourselves,

as followers of Jesus
To work together for the holistic transformation of our communities
To pursue justice,

be passionate about kindness
And to walk humbly with God

We call on fellow followers of Jesus everywhere
To be agents of hope for and with the poor
And to work with others
To hold our national and global leaders accountable
In securing a more just and merciful world.