Longview Chapel Christian Church

It has been 14 days since my last cup of coffee...You'd think I'd be over it by now!  I should invent a "coffee" patch to help the cravings go away...do you think it would work?  Yesterday I went into Starbucks, ordered a pumpkin loaf and a "steamer." A steamer is a mixture of steamed milk and vanilla flavoring, a coffee free drink.  I thought it would help me...it didn't.  It only made me want coffee even more because I could smell it...and it smelled wonderful.  What it really did was allow me to edge just a little closer to that line of temptation.  BUT, I resisted and practically ran out of the store with my "steamer."  I don't think I'll go back until Lent is over-their pumpkin loaf isn't that good.

Isn't that how temptation really works?  We rationalize and edge closer and closer until we break.  Things look good, fun, whatever and we allow our personal standard to slip just a little bit each time we edge closer to that line.  Until eventually we've gotten so close so many times that we can't see where the line is anymore.  I think this is true for little silly things like a coffee fast, and the big things too.  Self-discipline is good for the soul...at least it's good for me--I'm practicing what I preach, so to speak.  That's always a good thing!