I love sugar! No, I mean I REALLY LOVE sugar! When I was in first
grade or so, I used to come to the dinner table every night and ask how
much "good food" (that is, nutritious food to fuel my body) I had to eat
before I could have dessert. My favorite thing about potlucks at church
was that, when I was old enough to fix my own plate, I could get as
much dessert as I wanted. And I loved going to buffet-style restaurants
with my grandparents because after I finished my meal, I could go fill
another plate with sweetness.
Well, several years, and a
few babies later, my sugar addiction had caught up with me, and I was
noticeably overweight, and displeased with my reflection. So I began the
process of trying to shed some pounds. The first couple weeks were
INCREDIBLY difficult as my body rebelled against the removal of the
sugar from my diet. But as the weeks passed, and I learned the diet
system I'd chosen, I was able to get my sugar fix fairly easily and
still lose weight. Basically I organized my life around getting the
amount of sweets I wanted, by exercising more, and switching out some of
the more "expensive" foods in my diet in favor of more dessert.
This
year I've gained back a few pounds. But I've also been really wrestling
with the concept that I need to be a faithful steward of the body God
has given me, in conjunction with faithfulness in other areas of my
life. I get so frustrated when I can't eat what I want. However, I
realize that certain eating habits, namely overindulgence in sugar, are
NOT being faithful. At which point, the Lord showed me that I had made
an idol of sugar. I had organized my life around getting sugar. And
sugar is most definitely NOT worthy of my worship. So I'm on a sugar
fast. And when the cravings hit (and they're doing it OFTEN) I am
praying that the Lord will teach me to want Him most of all.
And
God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall
have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:1-3
"Hear,
O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
It is the LORD your God
you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You
shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around
you-- for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God--lest the
anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you
from off the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:13-15
And
he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and
first commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38
If then
you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where
Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things
that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and
your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death
therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:1-5
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