Today, day TWO into "No Sweet Treats 2014," I almost cheated... I almost cheated accidentally, then I almost cheated deliberately. We were at Costco, shopping for and visiting with some dear friends who moved to Johnson City, TN, where they have no Costco! (How do you shop if you don't have Costco?!)
After our friends left, and my sweet daughters headed out to start loading our purchases into the car, I ducked into the ladies' room. On the way out, as a fun surprise I knew would thrill them, I stopped and bought two churros for my girls. (For the uninitiated, these are delicious!)
It never occurred to me that I had just purchased a forbidden sweet treat. Truly! It wasn't until I got out to the car and proudly presented my surprise...
puzzled looks... confusion...
"Mo-om!"
"What?!"... (I'm a little thick!)...
"No sweet treats!"
I promise you I was that dumb! I had totally forgotten. As in totally.
"Oh no! I totally forgot!"
Then it started...
A girl who will remain unnamed: "Weeelll, it's only the 2nd..." (Hear long, sweet Southern drawl on that first syllable!)
The other girl: "It's okay. You forgot. It doesn't matter. We won't do it again..."
How tempting those words were! How much I suddenly wanted this thing I'd cared little for just three minutes earlier!
I was reminded of this verse, from Romans 7:8 ~ "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. "
And so it was. Now that I wasn't supposed to have it... wasn't allowed to have it... Oh how much more I wanted it! I was thankful to be able to call on the name of the One who strengthens me to resist the lure (and justifications!) of my flesh, enabling me to resist the oh-so-tempting draw of the-thing-which-I've-seen-and-now-want, but which I shouldn't have.
Of course, those churros were not really forbidden, and it wouldn't have been sin to eat them, but I did have a very small picture of the sin battle right before my very eyes.
I gave them away to a surprised woman and her two delighted children. And I did walk away!
Now only 363 days to go!
After our friends left, and my sweet daughters headed out to start loading our purchases into the car, I ducked into the ladies' room. On the way out, as a fun surprise I knew would thrill them, I stopped and bought two churros for my girls. (For the uninitiated, these are delicious!)
It never occurred to me that I had just purchased a forbidden sweet treat. Truly! It wasn't until I got out to the car and proudly presented my surprise...
puzzled looks... confusion...
"Mo-om!"
"What?!"... (I'm a little thick!)...
"No sweet treats!"
I promise you I was that dumb! I had totally forgotten. As in totally.
"Oh no! I totally forgot!"
Then it started...
A girl who will remain unnamed: "Weeelll, it's only the 2nd..." (Hear long, sweet Southern drawl on that first syllable!)
The other girl: "It's okay. You forgot. It doesn't matter. We won't do it again..."
How tempting those words were! How much I suddenly wanted this thing I'd cared little for just three minutes earlier!
I was reminded of this verse, from Romans 7:8 ~ "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. "
And so it was. Now that I wasn't supposed to have it... wasn't allowed to have it... Oh how much more I wanted it! I was thankful to be able to call on the name of the One who strengthens me to resist the lure (and justifications!) of my flesh, enabling me to resist the oh-so-tempting draw of the-thing-which-I've-seen-and-now-want, but which I shouldn't have.
Of course, those churros were not really forbidden, and it wouldn't have been sin to eat them, but I did have a very small picture of the sin battle right before my very eyes.
I gave them away to a surprised woman and her two delighted children. And I did walk away!
Now only 363 days to go!
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