Discipline Starts at the Store

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed             is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

 

I have been in a bad mood for hours and I am not happy about it. Who else gets moody over a mood? When I finally took a deep breath and asked God what my problem was I realized I was disgusted with myself.

I have not been feeling well for the last couple of days. I am sure I am suffering from allergies that settle in my lungs and make me miserable. But, I am eating anything in sight. It feels good on my throat and, well maybe it just feels good. I ate junk and plenty of it.

Now I am wondering why that junk was in the house. You see, I am not choosing the carrots, cucumbers and delicious ripe tomatoes in my kitchen. I am choosing cheesecake (even if it is made with Splenda) and sweet potato chips (in mass quantity – okay, full disclosure: it was an 8.5 oz. bag and I ate about half).

Why did I ever bring that bag home?

I remember knowing that I should not buy them but did it anyway. I wonder how many times a day I do that, know I shouldn’t do something and do it anyway.

Knowledge of foods and diet does no good if I don’t act on what I know. Does that sound familiar? How many Christians have plenty of Bible knowledge but fail to act on it?  The book of James says we cannot just read the Word but we must do what it says.

It would be an act of discipline to want sweet potato chips but not bring them home, just as it is an act of discipline to resist any temptation. Some are more harmful than others.  An occasional splurge won’t hurt me – but a regular diet of junk food could eventually kill me.

If the temptation is sin we move into the territory of greater consequences. God hates sin and we do suffer for it. Sometimes others will as well. The blessing for my husband is that he was at work all day today while I suffered my bad mood alone. Sometimes though, the suffering does move right on through the family. Children and husbands often suffer for the sin of the Mom.

The hard part is that there is no tricky cure for a lack of discipline. The cure for a lack of discipline is discipline.

The woman tempted to speak harshly to her children or husband has to learn to shoot arrow prayers in the moment asking for the right words and self-control.

The man with a porn problem has to leave his phone and computer use to times when others are around to hold him accountable.

The woman tempted to watch trashy TV may have turn off the cable.

The one who is tempted to gossip may have to ask her partner in gossip to stop her when she starts.

The woman who blows the budget every time she shops may have to learn to shop with cash only, leaving the credit cards home and when it is gone, she’s done shopping.

AND, I have to leave those chips in the store!