Potato salad problems...

So today I just wanted to write about some frustrations I’ve encountered with this exercise business.

First of all, I have to say that my work place is the worst place in the world if you’re looking to eat healthy. Not so much because all the food is unhealthy, simply because there’s so many opportunities for snacking… and that is my weakness! Another reason is that there are a lot of food-related activities that they put on for the residents, and, being activity staff, I am apart of those food-related activities. Yikes! Not a dream combination do these things make.

Today I wanted to confess that I slipped a little bit. Not slipped so much as ate potato salad and baked beans that I wasn’t planning on eating at our picnic. I think that I still have plenty of calories but I just kind of feel… blah about the whole thing now. I compromised my will power and succumbed to the temptations that were available to me. While I didn’t go over my calorie limit, I’m still bummed about it.

I think that this is a great lesson though - my pastor would call it a “sermon illustration” and while this isn’t a sermon necessarily, I think you’ll see the connection. Giving in to food temptations be it at picnics or in your cupboard at home remind me of what effects sin can have in our lives. We know that something is not good for us but we continually seek out and do the very things that we know are harmful, not only to ourselves but also to our relationship with God. All this from potato salad, eh?

So what can we learn from this? Well, first of all, in the potato salad problem, we can learn that yes, potato salad and baked beans are delicious… but are they worth the feeling of disappointment afterwards? Not especially. Maybe next time, instead of reaching for that potato salad, I will instead be more motivated to eat the watermelon or just my giant hamburger that I had planned on eating in the first place (hamburgers are another story completely but we’ll just leave it at this for now).

As far as sin is concerned, there is hope. If you’re a Christian (and even if you’re not, by the way), than you will know (or should know, or know now) that Christ died for all of our sins and was resurrected from the dead. This means that your sin is covered. Should you still repent for said sin? Definitely, but know that through your relationship with God, He can give you the strength to turn from your sinful ways. In time, He can teach you the discipline to rely wholly on Him and His mercy and grace. Will you still sin if you’re a Christian? Sure. I can wake up and bet that I’ll do something stupid and awful in the eyes of God but if I repent and strive to be better and not put myself deliberately in sin’s path, then I think that’s a pretty good lesson learned, don’t you?