Just What I Needed to Hear (or Read!)

I was awake at 5:00 a.m. (which I kept telling myself was really 4:00 since the time just changed on Sunday morning).  I tried to go back to sleep and couldn't. It was one of those times when my mind was racing about all kinds of other things and I couldn't relax.  I finally went downstairs to pick up my Nook and grab my glasses off the dining room table.

I mentioned before that I have been participating in Read the Bible in 365 Days on the YouVersion app.  Since we will be on the cruise and in Miami for over a week, I knew I would be behind in my daily devotions, so I have been reading ahead instead.  I finally had the number of days ahead to the point where I could read each day, as I had been, and be ready to start again exactly on the date of our return.

This morning at 5, I decided to read the day's scheduled devotion.  Topic:  temptation

Even though the scriptures began with a focus on adultery and the temptation of a beautiful woman to lure a man away from his wife, there was also a section about people complaining about food.  The devotional discusses this particular aspect as well.

Now temptation about food is what I deal with each and every day.  In fact, one of the reasons that I enjoyed and could relate to Lysa Terkeurst's book Made to Crave was the focus on just that - tempting food and control over that temptation.

It is hard.  Food looks SO good.  Juicy steaks.  Delectible desserts.  Wonderful chocolate concoctions.

And the smells?  Bread baking in the oven.   A roast cooking in the crockpot.  Bacon frying.

This doesn't even begin to describe the sense of taste when a morsel of meat melts in one's mouth (as it does at The Alamo in Gatlinburg) or a perfect blend of tomato sauce, meats, and cheese on a pizza crust.

Texture is important too. Sometimes I just need some crunch.  Or the feeling of chocolate melting in my mouth.  Or the coolness of ice cream.  Or the munching on a pretzel rod.

The problem with any and all of these?  Calories.  Fat.  Carbs.  Weight added to the body.

We are taught that temptation is constant.  It is not something that happens just once, we conquer it, and we move on, never to be bothered by it again.  No one hands us diplomas declaring that we are graduates of the School of Conquering Temptation and that we are free to do what we want for the rest of our lives with no consequences.

There will always be temptation.  And it will find us every day.

Every day.

Every meal.

With every morsel of food that we encounter.

So why was this particular devotion just what I needed to hear?

Because I am struggling with weight loss.

Because my clothes have gone up one size since last summer.

Because we are leaving for a cruise where food will be plentiful and available and the temptation will be great.

For on a cruise - it is all paid for, the meals are regular and the snacks always available, and the choices are superb.

Temptation is going to be a challenge next week.  Yes it is.

So I need to remember what I read this morning, even though I fell asleep after I closed the Nook and forgot about it until around noon tody.

Plus I plan to re-read the same passages before we leave on Thursday.

I can conquer temptation. It just takes some determination, some good choices, and a strong will.

I have done it before.  I can do it again.