Of Carrot Sticks And Double Cheeseburgers
For the past year or two, our family has purposed to be intentional about the things we eat, primarily watching out for things like saturated fats, sugars, hydrogenated ingredients, and boosting our intake of fruits and veggies. At first, this new meal plan met with the expected amounts of groans, but as we acclimated to our new diet, we found that those Double Quarter Pounders (with cheese) didn’t taste so good anymore.
In fact, the couple times I HAVE eaten at a fast food restaurant, I feel sick to my stomach afterwards. Get this: I actually miss fruits and vegetables when I don’t get them at meals. Plus, I like weird drinks with wheat grass and green algae mixed in with fruit.
All this thinking about health food somehow got my mind working on parallels between eating habits and our spiritual lives. (I’ll skip the obvious jokes here). Just as we can adjust from eating Carrot Sticks and Fat Free Ranch to Double Quarter Pounders (with extra cheese), we can so easily slip from faithful Christian living back down to self-glorification and gratification.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about consistent, authentic, progressively healthy Christian life, and how to go about living one. I think one of the tricks is knowing your weaknesses. It’s not a good idea to shop through the cheese aisle if you are hungry, or walk past the Outback if you are fasting; likewise, it’s not too bright to intentionally put yourself into situations that might make your trip.
I know that I am susceptible to certain temptations, so I try and make an conscious effort to not allow myself to be in situations that easily bring about those temptations. Makes sense, right? The hard thing is getting used to denying ourselves what, initially, is our natural inclination. But, once we get into the habit of not giving in to that temptation, it gets easier and easier (although never disappears completely!) to resist, and eventually becomes something that makes us sick to our stomachs.
Another key to living healthily is being accountable. Eating healthy was hard initially, but as we kept to our plan, we all began to chide other family members who ‘cheated’ (namely, myself). Eventually, we all conformed to the idea, and now it’s not only habit, but inbred desire. I think it’s similar in the Christian life. If we have someone, or several someones, to be accountable for our failures to, we are much more likely to be motivated not to give in to temptation. My Dad and I use a little app that sends an list to him of all the websites I visited in the past two weeks. It certainly is motivation for me to think twice about clicking on a link, even if it’s only questionable, would I be OK with Dad seeing this site?
We can also keep in mind that we always have both a coach and an accountability partner in Jesus. He is always there for us to talk (and confess) to. The great thing is, He knows all about our struggles, and is always willing to help us through them, no matter how often we fall.
Keep in mind what you are eating, both physically and spiritually! Did you have a McGrease Burger for dinner, or did you go for the Chef Salad?
Grace and peace through God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
In fact, the couple times I HAVE eaten at a fast food restaurant, I feel sick to my stomach afterwards. Get this: I actually miss fruits and vegetables when I don’t get them at meals. Plus, I like weird drinks with wheat grass and green algae mixed in with fruit.
All this thinking about health food somehow got my mind working on parallels between eating habits and our spiritual lives. (I’ll skip the obvious jokes here). Just as we can adjust from eating Carrot Sticks and Fat Free Ranch to Double Quarter Pounders (with extra cheese), we can so easily slip from faithful Christian living back down to self-glorification and gratification.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about consistent, authentic, progressively healthy Christian life, and how to go about living one. I think one of the tricks is knowing your weaknesses. It’s not a good idea to shop through the cheese aisle if you are hungry, or walk past the Outback if you are fasting; likewise, it’s not too bright to intentionally put yourself into situations that might make your trip.
I know that I am susceptible to certain temptations, so I try and make an conscious effort to not allow myself to be in situations that easily bring about those temptations. Makes sense, right? The hard thing is getting used to denying ourselves what, initially, is our natural inclination. But, once we get into the habit of not giving in to that temptation, it gets easier and easier (although never disappears completely!) to resist, and eventually becomes something that makes us sick to our stomachs.
Another key to living healthily is being accountable. Eating healthy was hard initially, but as we kept to our plan, we all began to chide other family members who ‘cheated’ (namely, myself). Eventually, we all conformed to the idea, and now it’s not only habit, but inbred desire. I think it’s similar in the Christian life. If we have someone, or several someones, to be accountable for our failures to, we are much more likely to be motivated not to give in to temptation. My Dad and I use a little app that sends an list to him of all the websites I visited in the past two weeks. It certainly is motivation for me to think twice about clicking on a link, even if it’s only questionable, would I be OK with Dad seeing this site?
We can also keep in mind that we always have both a coach and an accountability partner in Jesus. He is always there for us to talk (and confess) to. The great thing is, He knows all about our struggles, and is always willing to help us through them, no matter how often we fall.
Keep in mind what you are eating, both physically and spiritually! Did you have a McGrease Burger for dinner, or did you go for the Chef Salad?
Grace and peace through God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
posted by ATS at
4/07/2006
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