At 538 pounds, Rick Salewske lived a small life that consisted of his job, his house, and his car—and he was very close to no longer fitting into his car. His stomach rubbing on the steering wheel had already worn a threadbare line across his pants. Often ridiculed by total strangers, he felt humiliated and very much alone. Rick had been raised in a traditional Catholic family, but his relationship with God was more of a distant, respectful belief than an up-close and personal experience. He couldn’t fit into a church pew and most definitely not into a confessional booth. What Rick didn’t know was that even then, God was actively pursuing him, even when Rick was not pursuing God at all.

When Rick’s weight cost him a chance at his dream job, God would lead him on a journey that would reach the mountaintops of national television appearances and even the New York Marathon, but his own poor choices would plunge him back down to a valley leading nowhere. It was in that valley that Rick eventually looked up and recognized God’s hand in his life. When he learned to keep his eyes on God, the life God intended him to lead finally came into focus.

His path was not always smooth or straight. But learning to put his full trust in the Lord led Rick to be less than half and more than twice the man he used to be.