Friends Like These

Nearly everyone in my office, myself included, is participating in a 10-week Weight Watchers program at work. I was only wanting to lose 5-10 pounds (I'm already at the 5 pound loss mark two weeks into it, hooray!), and I knew participating would help motivate me to eat better and exercise more (especially since we have weekly weigh-ins). I eat out pretty often with my co-workers, so since just about all of us are participating, that makes it easier to keep each other accountable for eating healthier food, not to mention less food altogether.

Having my co-workers participate in this program has made sticking to it a lot easier, because we have the same challenges and goals, and are able to support and encourage each other (with a little good-natured mocking thrown in for fun every now and then).

Today I was thinking about how important it is to have people in my life who can support me, not only through weight-loss regimens but through more important trials as well. This week has been very hectic and stressful at work, and I've been able to call on my life group and other friends to pray for me. Several of them have checked in on me to see how the week's going, and that's been a HUGE encouragement. There aren't many things better to me than coming home to have a friendly message on my answering machine or an encouraging e-mail.

I've been very blessed to be able to lean on these friends. Since I live alone, I can feel somewhat isolated sometimes, and this week has been a good reminder that even when I feel alone, I'm truly not.

So to my friends who read this, thanks for your support this week (and countless times before). "I thank my God every time I remember you." (Philippians 1:3)