“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
As of today, I have not had any sugar – for me this means no desserts of any kind and no sugary soda – for 3 months and 1 week.
It has not been easy.
Week one was 7 days in which my husband feared for his life. Before we went to bed at night, he hid anything he thought I might see as a weapon in my sugar-hungry mind.
After the first week, I had a few days of “Hey, this won’t be so bad.” That ended abruptly when my beloved son had the audacity to eat a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup in front of me. I fled, knowing that if I stayed and watched him enjoy my FAVORITE CANDY OF ALL TIME, I would later only have memories of my boy as a chalk outline.
I got encouragement from other folks, mostly on Facebook, who have also given up sugar. I was told time and time again that after the first two months, my desire for sugar would subside substantially. With a grin on my face I persevered. I couldn’t wait for October 1st.
October 1st came and I woke up with visions of candy corn dancing in my mind. Maybe they meant October 2nd and I just got the date wrong.
Um…no.
October was a living nightmare. Every trip to the store, the small orange and yellow triangles cried out to me from their bags.
Some called, “Robbie, come on over.” Sort of like that urge you get at 2 a.m. when you see an TV infomercial for a closet organization system that you know will solve every problem you’ve ever had.
Some mocked me. “Robbie, why are you doing this? It won’t last. So just have a few of us.”
But most often all I heard was, “Robbie, life without us, Sweet Candy Corn, is life denied!!”
I didn’t pick any of them up. I still miss those moments. The what ifs…Sigh.
Halloween. Well…let’s just skip that. Suffice to say Noah was on his own. :0)
But here is the deal. Sugar has abused me and been my bridge to obesity and a life of unused potential. No more. Maybe I’ll have sugar some day. But not anytime soon.
In the book, Made to Crave by Lysa TurKeurst, (which happens to be the best book I’ve ever read about my habit of putting food before God,) Lysa writes:
It is good for God’s people to be put in a place of longing so they feel a slight desperation.
(I laugh at the word slight.)
She goes on to say:
Only then can we be empty enough and open enough to discover the holiness we were made for. When we are stuffed full of other things and never allow ourselves to be in a place of longing, we don’t recognize the deeper spiritual battle going on.
After 3 months and 1 week, I am JUST NOW beginning to get an inkling of the spiritual battle going on in my heart and soul. A battle for my purpose. A battle for my identity.
Yes, I’ve lost weight and I feel good and my numbers after blood tests are much, much better.
And though that all feels great, God is showing me that in order to let perseverance finish its work in my life, I have a long way to go. That’s fine with me. I am on a wild ride and it’s exciting and scary and fun.
And my husband somehow knows when he needs to hide the knives! :0)
2 comments:
Oh my cow. You are on a tough journey. You are doing so well, my friend.
Hang in there. I feel your pain. It does get better.
My journey is without milk or any dairy whatsoever. I used to love cheese, but the pain that comes after it is just not worth it.
You are doing amazingly well. It really is like giving up crack.
Love you. I'll pray for you and the men in your life.
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