Whichever plan you choose to lose weight, you are destined to lose kilos. . . at least for a time. But most dieters reach a point of stagnation before reaching their goal, many become discouraged when they lose enthusiasm rather than the number of kilos scheduled. Many people give up and go back to their old eating habits.

Something similar happens in our Christian life. When we begin our walk with Christ, we easily reject much of the sins that have overwhelmed us. We give dramatic testimonies of how we were liberated from addictive behaviors. But then the attention is directed towards other new believers and we discover that "little" sins such as envy, resentment and anger do not disappear as easily as the "big ones". Sometimes, we become so discouraged that we lose sight of our commitment to Christ and go back to some of our old ways of living.

When Jesus spoke of the cost of being his disciples (Luke 14: 25-35), he wanted his listeners to realize that to believe in Him and to follow Him involves much more than starting something exciting. It means standing firm in the midst of difficult situations.

So whether we talk about losing weight or moving forward spiritually, the message is the same: "The most important thing is not how we started, but how we finished"

Perseverance makes the difference between failure and success