Diet Faith

This summer we are participating in a CSA cooperative (Community Supported Agriculture). It has been a lot of fun learning to eat things we have never tried (and some we had never heard of like Rainbow Chard and Purslane).  It’s a little pricey because the food comes from Lancaster County organic farms.

As I was putting away my organic vegetables and fruit today I wanted a Diet Pepsi. What is wrong with this picture?! I spend extra money to buy foods that won’t add chemicals to my body and then intentionally buy a drink that will.

There is a definite inconsistency somewhere though I rarely notice when I do it.

I was conscious of inconsistencies in my discipline of our kids as they were growing up. I tried very hard to remember what I had said the rule would be and stick with it. I’ll have to ask them how I did with that, maybe on my deathbed would be soon enough to know!

This Diet Pepsi inconsistency made me think about what other inconsistencies there are in my life and most importantly, in my faith.  James talks about the double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, because he asks but he doubts God can answer (James 1:6-8).

Sometimes I catch myself in a prayer saying, God, can you…” I laugh out loud at myself. Of course He can, He’s God! But this gives away a trace of doubt in my thinking.

Other times I try to tell Him what He could do to accomplish what I want. The arrogance is bad enough, like God needs my help. Worse, though, is the inconsistency of how I teach others that God does not need their advice. Double minded, for sure!

God’s sovereignty gives me great  security and peace. When “stuff” happens, good, bad or indifferent, I rest in the fact that the Lord has ordained whatever comes my way and He has a purpose in all of it. A purpose that will be for my good when I am living according to His Word and for my good to bring me back to Him if I am not.  It might seem bad or indifferent, but in His providence, it’s all good.

The effects of doubt and my apparent desire to advise God are worse for me than the diet soda. What is good is that God can take the ‘stuff” that seems bad to me and work it all for my good. The aspartame in the Diet Pepsi has no such noble qualities. Even knowing that, today, I drank it anyway.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will doubt God less, advise God less, and drink less diet Pepsi.

Though I am inconsistent, God is quite consistent.  Praise His name!