Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
It's all in the location.
Real estate brokers preach it,
marketing staffs swear by it,
grocery stores plan strategy around it.
There is a reason that candy, gossip magazines,
and every knick knack known to mankind
are found at check out counters all across this country.
We are influenced by our environment.
If we hang around something long enough,
we are likely to embrace it.
I spend many a lunch hour frequenting
the local grocery store's salad bar.
I make a conscious effort to
take in healthy things for my body.
This is to counter the constant demands
of the sweet tooth that I possess.
I start with the greens, fresh spinach will do nicely....
then comes the shredded carrots,
then the purple stuff...I am hoping that it is cabbage........
I pass on the stuff that looks like
it comes from the underside of my mower.
Mushrooms, cucumbers, and those cool little peas,
all climb aboard my little choo choo train of health.
Milky Way bars
Say what?
Sitting in between all of God's healthy bounty this day,
Is a display case of Milky Way bars.
I have immediately begun to salivate
on command like a Pavlovian dog.
no....No.....NO !!!!
I say to myself.
Mister, you are going to enjoy those lovely sprouts instead.
Having successfully lied to myself,
I continue on.
Cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions.....
Zagnut bars
Why is there a Zagnut Display on the salad bar?
Okay this is not fair.
With some sense of discipline,
I can pass by a Milky Way bar,
but the Zagnut??
the most amazing candy bar of my childhood????
I draw on my 12 steps program for denial of sweets
I get down to step # 6
and that gives me the courage to move on,
that would be move on to those lovely chik peas......
yes, chik peas and celery too.
I turn the corner of the salad bar
feeling very good about my demonstration of will power.
I will treat myself to a little extra cheese for my effort
I say to myself.
some cubed chicken to boot
and my salad is looking spectacular,
a colorful array of healthiness,
a testimony to the organic lifestyle.
I feel like I could run a marathon,
a splash of salad dressing (lite of course)
and I am reaching for my plastic cutlery and....
a Twix??
This has become cruel.
We are talking chocolate, graham cracker, and caramel.....
the first love of my adult candy.
What if I wrap it in lettuce?
That will probably make it healthy......
I think to myself.
No.
Instead, I walk away,
feeling proud that I have just slain the big three of the candy industry.
Life is filled with temptations,
and they usually come in the most unexpected times or locations.
God never promises to remove temptations from our lives.
Instead, He does two things......
he promises not to lead us into those places,
and he instructs us to flee from those places when we encounter them.
We are told to keep watch, and to pray (Matt 26:41)
And so I did,
that is, until I got to the checkout counter
and they slipped a mini Hershey bar into my grocery bag
as a Halloween treat.
Okay, next time to stay out of trouble,
I will flee the salad bar,
and hang out in the frozen food section.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matt 6:13a
Real estate brokers preach it,
marketing staffs swear by it,
grocery stores plan strategy around it.
There is a reason that candy, gossip magazines,
and every knick knack known to mankind
are found at check out counters all across this country.
We are influenced by our environment.
If we hang around something long enough,
we are likely to embrace it.
I spend many a lunch hour frequenting
the local grocery store's salad bar.
I make a conscious effort to
take in healthy things for my body.
This is to counter the constant demands
of the sweet tooth that I possess.
I start with the greens, fresh spinach will do nicely....
then comes the shredded carrots,
then the purple stuff...I am hoping that it is cabbage........
I pass on the stuff that looks like
it comes from the underside of my mower.
Mushrooms, cucumbers, and those cool little peas,
all climb aboard my little choo choo train of health.
Milky Way bars
Say what?
Sitting in between all of God's healthy bounty this day,
Is a display case of Milky Way bars.
I have immediately begun to salivate
on command like a Pavlovian dog.
no....No.....NO !!!!
I say to myself.
Mister, you are going to enjoy those lovely sprouts instead.
Having successfully lied to myself,
I continue on.
Cherry tomatoes, green peppers, onions.....
Zagnut bars
Why is there a Zagnut Display on the salad bar?
Okay this is not fair.
With some sense of discipline,
I can pass by a Milky Way bar,
but the Zagnut??
the most amazing candy bar of my childhood????
I draw on my 12 steps program for denial of sweets
I get down to step # 6
and that gives me the courage to move on,
that would be move on to those lovely chik peas......
yes, chik peas and celery too.
I turn the corner of the salad bar
feeling very good about my demonstration of will power.
I will treat myself to a little extra cheese for my effort
I say to myself.
some cubed chicken to boot
and my salad is looking spectacular,
a colorful array of healthiness,
a testimony to the organic lifestyle.
I feel like I could run a marathon,
a splash of salad dressing (lite of course)
and I am reaching for my plastic cutlery and....
a Twix??
This has become cruel.
We are talking chocolate, graham cracker, and caramel.....
the first love of my adult candy.
What if I wrap it in lettuce?
That will probably make it healthy......
I think to myself.
No.
Instead, I walk away,
feeling proud that I have just slain the big three of the candy industry.
Life is filled with temptations,
and they usually come in the most unexpected times or locations.
God never promises to remove temptations from our lives.
Instead, He does two things......
he promises not to lead us into those places,
and he instructs us to flee from those places when we encounter them.
We are told to keep watch, and to pray (Matt 26:41)
And so I did,
that is, until I got to the checkout counter
and they slipped a mini Hershey bar into my grocery bag
as a Halloween treat.
Okay, next time to stay out of trouble,
I will flee the salad bar,
and hang out in the frozen food section.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matt 6:13a
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