Lose 20 pounds by Christmas

I know what sells magazines. Tell people how they can look and feel better. And, if you do want to lose 20 lbs by Christmas, you can. There are about 2,000 different diet plans that will get you there. The keys to success are setting goals, having accountability, eating less, and moving more. It's not rocket science. But, I did not really want to write a post on weight loss tips. What I wanted my title to read is, "How to get closer to God by Christmas." How do we get closer to God? Closeness to God is difficult to quantify, but I think we can use the same approach to spiritual well-being as we do our physical well-being.

First, we can set spiritual goals. Have you ever set a spiritual goal? What would that look like? A good goal is measurable and achievable. For example, I will do spiritual reading for 20 minutes each morning for 2 weeks. Reading daily for 20 minutes might be achievable for some, but not for others. So, know your limitations. Once you achieve this goal, you can evaluate your progress. Do you feel closer to God? Another way of evaluating this is to ask yourself if you feel that your faith is strengthened.

Next, incorporate accountability into your spiritual growth. You can get your spouse to do this with you. Or you can ask a friend or group of friends to join you. Or, if you want to keep it personal and private, you can keep a journal and check off each time you make your goal. The journal can also be a place to record your thoughts about your spiritual journey.

Families can set goals, too. My family would like to get together to say the rosary. But, often, life gets in the way and days and weeks pass without a family rosary. However, if we set a goal together as a family, one that is measurable and achievable, then, we are much more likely to sit down together. A daily family rosary with kids, two of whom are toddlers, is not achievable for us. However, we can gather at least once a week, perhaps on Sunday evenings, to say a family rosary. If we do this for 2 weeks and we feel good about our progress, then maybe we can start gathering twice a week. And we could progress towards a daily family rosary by Christmas.

Now, what about the eating less and moving more? Well, that doesn't apply to spiritual growth, directly. But, you can certainly sin less and do more works of mercy. How do you sin less? First, start with a clean slate. Make a thorough examination of your conscience. Then, go to confession. This will absolve you of all your sins and give you the sanctifying grace to avoid those same sins in the future. Set a confession goal, too. My family makes it a goal to go once per month. Frequent confession is the key to sinning less. And if you do this once per month, you will find that your faith is strengthened and you will be closer to God by Christmas.

Increasing works of mercy is another way to grow closer to God. And, goal setting will help you achieve this. Having accountability partners will also make it more likely that you will do more works of mercy. We have a family friend who is in a nursing home. And, if we do not set a goal and schedule a visit, life gets in the way. And before we know it a week goes by, or a month or several months before we realize that we have not visited our friend. We cannot let that happen. If we do achieve our goal, we not only please a friend but also and we find ourselves in compliance with Christ's greatest commandment, to love one another as He loves us.

Of course, I might want to think about those weight loss goals, too. I mean, what is Christmas without cookies and candy canes? It might be good to make a little exta room for all that yumminess without feeling too guilty.