We want
what we want and we want it now!
I got to
thinking last night and again this morning that my own personal key to being
physically fit and eating a diet of healthy foods is not by avoiding exposure
to the unhealthy but rather by looking at my choices as short-lived. Twice in the last week I had a choice of
giving in and eating pizza for a meal because that is what the plan was where I was at. I decided in both cases
to make a healthier meal choice and did so because I realized that whatever
choice I would make was only going to be about 30-minutes in duration. In essence my choice would 30-minutes later
leave me with a feeling of guilt or of victory over temptation. Either way-my choice was going to be but a
memory. My choice was whether or not
temptation for instant gratification was going to be allowed to have long-lived
consequences or be encouragement to press on and continue to make a wise choice.
My challenges have been foods. For others, the
need for instant gratification comes in the form of alcohol, drugs, pornography,
rage, anger-you name it. The thing is I
believe we stand a fairly good chance of victory over these temptations if we look at them as temporary rather than something that can (or will) control
our life. I believe that part of a winning
strategy over temptation is coming to grips with the fact that it can be
short-lived. If the temptation is food
then have alternative healthy foods on hand.
If the temptation is more of a serious kind such as I mentioned, keep
the phone close by with at least a few friends on speed-dial that you have
confided in to expect your call in a moment’s notice-and why.
Just add
milk! Oh-if only all of life was as instantly
gratifying as a bowl of cereal…and as harmless.
