Asking the Clergy: Praying to lose weight

Rabbi Mendel Teldon, Chabad

of Mid-Suffolk, Commack:

God listens to every prayer, and he responds to every prayer. The beauty is that he allows us room to grow. He never takes away our free choice. He gives us space to accomplish things . . . space to take ownership of our own little world.

When you pray to God, don't pray to him to make you a size 2. He's not going to do that, although he can. Pray to him for the strength and inspiration to make the right choices.

We're not spoiled children to make a mess, then walk away and leave it for others to clean up. If that were the case, we'd all overeat, then ask God to make us thin again. When would we learn healthy habits?

So be happy that God doesn't give you off the bat everything you ask for. Be happy he gives you a life to live as your own person, with your own accomplishments, your own way of doing things and your own size that's right for you.

Sr. Margaret Rohde, religious leader of the Cenacle, Cenacle Retreat House, Ronkonkoma:

You have to put actions with your prayer. I confess to being a size 1X. In addition to praying, I need to move more and eat less processed food. I have to cooperate with my prayer. You don't stop with the prayer; you have to put in the work. Maybe . . . we should be praying for strength and motivation to lose weight.

And, while we may pray for something and we think we know best, God knows best. He answers in his time, not our time. We're used to instant gratification with email, fast food, et cetera, and think we have God on demand as well. We need to learn to say "Thy will be done."

We sometimes ask God like he's Santa Claus. Our relationship with him should not just be about asking for things. There's no wrong way to pray. There are many forms -- asking, contrition, forgiveness. But, we should be in conversation with God often enough that we're not just asking for something.

Pastor Frank A. White, Zion Cathedral Church of God in Christ, Freeport:

The beauty of creation is the diversification of life itself. How boring life would be if all women were a size two and all men were 6-foot-2. Let's celebrate the uniqueness. There are more than six billion people on earth, and nobody has the same fingerprint. That's the awesomeness of life. We're all made in the image of God.

Praying is the most important thing we can do on a daily basis. But, it is important to understand the purpose of prayer. Through prayer, we're invited to communicate with God. We can speak to him concerning our desires, our ambitions, our objectives. But, it is a two-way street. We have to take the time to hear what God has to say to us. This is not Burger King. You don't have it your way.

The Rev. Roger Blackmore, Church at the Movies, Ronkonkoma and Mastic:

Prayer is a wonderful means of communicating with our Heavenly Father. It is multifaceted. Many people fail to realize it is as important to listen when we pray as it is to speak. While the Bible promises that if we focus our lives on God, he will give us our heart's desires, we also need to appreciate that effort is required on our part.

We could jokingly say that weight issues are prevalent among churchgoers because we've sworn off every other vice. There's only one left, and that's eating. Even so, I do know some fat sinners. I do encourage my congregants to take care of their body, to not smoke and not be sexually promiscuous.

It is good to ask God for help with your weight issue, but you're the one who has to put in the work to lose weight. It is good to regularly ask God for help in areas challenging for you. But, be realistic about what you ask for. Ask for guidance about what you need to do for the next step. Ask for the wisdom, then the courage to take the necessary steps.