I grew up in an arid land. Our annual rainfall was somewhere close to 10 inches. That’s ANNUAL folks. I didn’t think anything of it, but when it did rain, it was an event. After the rain these amazing little desert frogs would emerge.  At the time, I didn’t know where they came from. Their song was my lullaby for several evenings afterward. They lay their eggs in the muddy puddles all around. My friends and I loved to catch the tiny tadpoles.

Once my girlfriend and I rescued a “crop” of these little cuties. We prepared a basin of clean water for them, thinking that had to be better than that cloudy, dirty water they wiggled through.

Dusk came, our curfew, and we had to go inside. The next day we rushed to see how our new pets were doing. But the tadpoles were GONE! Every last one of them… and in their place were tiny frogs, no bigger than the tip of my finger. What an amazing transformation.

Do you long for a transformation? The most “amazing transformation” comes when we ask Jesus into our hearts. He brings us out of the mire and into a new life. Like the tiny frogs, at first we are vulnerable and fragile. We need to be fed. We need to submerge ourselves into the Word of God, like the adult frogs burrow into the mud to survive the next dry season.

A few years ago I longed for a different transformation, a physical one. I was seriously overweight. I hated the way I looked and felt. Something clicked in my head and I got serious about getting healthy. My husband and I joined a gym and hired a trainer for a short time. When we felt strong enough, we continued on our own.

The weight came off slowly, but steadily. There were times I wanted to quit. There are still times like that, but I remind myself this is a lifetime journey. Something we only have one shot at it. So I plod along.

Today I am 15 pounds from losing 100 pounds. The last time I saw my doctor she called me amazing, and told me I was no longer “obese,” but normal weight. I told her, “I’m not done yet.” She had never admonished me to lose weight and was surprised, and concerned when the weight started dropping.  She couldn’t believe a septuagenarian could lose weight on her own – and keep it off without being sick.

The “secret” to my weight loss is no secret at all. I eat smarter. In other words, no more than my body needs. I take vitamins to cover any missing nutrients. I don’t exercise as much now, but I maintain my gym membership. I look and feel better than I’ve felt in years. (Okay I know that is vain, but it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.)

Years of packing around too much weight wore out my knees. In December I had my second knee replacement. I did pre-emptive strengthening exercises. I was off the walker in a week and off the cane in another week. Everyone called me “amazing.” It’s not me who is amazing. I give credit to a skilled surgeon, God’s grace and the prayers of friends and family. Maybe a positive attitude helped, too.

Do you long for a transformation? Do you know Jesus? I can give you some pointers on both if you’re interested. I care about you. I’ve been where you are.

You can email me a conniefleming@comcast.net 

P.S. I’m not selling anything. I’m just giving encouragement.