Chocoholic 4/27/11

If you know even a little about me, you know that I have a problem. I
have a sweet tooth about the size of Buddy’s in the movie The Elf.
It’s bad. Anyway, I decided to do an experiment a month or so ago.
Since I’ve been here in Africa, so much has taken place. There’s been
so much change. And, I hate to admit it, but I’ve turned to my comfort
foods (most all containing sugar) a few too many times. I had enough
of that around March 10. So I decided to go without chocolate. I
should really have just done it as long as I could. I think I would
have found again that through Christ the impossible is possible. But
instead I decided to go without it for 40 days. So my chocolate fast
began, and it went over pretty well. The funny thing about it all is
that I was due a package from mi madre about halfway through my
chocofast. Could you guess what the box contained? Well, along with
about 2 huge editions of the Knox News Sentinel and about 5 small
English dictionaries, there were 10 boxes of girl scout cookies. And
guess what was one of the main ingredients in all but 3 boxes? Oh yes.
Chocolate. Ironic.
For the most part my fast wasn’t too difficult. I think I really
understood that my body really needed the break from the junk. I’ve
been back on chocolate a week now. And I really think I’m mostly
eating it because, all of a sudden, I can. I don’t really want it that
badly or need it; it’s just available. So I figure, why would I want
to leave this stuff behind?
When I get back home, I feel a definite swap to carob coming on. I
just feel better off the chocolate. My new friend Merlisa (she, her
husband Elebert, & daughter Estella arrived here in Lassin some weeks
ago; they’re our “replacement people”) told me she used to have the
same problem with chocolate (man, she doesn’t even know about my ice
cream addicition. Could I even still call it that? I think I might be
cured.). She told me that chocolate (and, I’m sure, sugar in general)
shocks your body. God’s informed us that we are to present our bodies
a living sacrifice and that our bodies are temples, a place for God’s
Spirit to dwell. If you really believe that, consider how you’re
hindering your mind and body today. How could you make your mind
clearer, your body more efficient, through what you put inside of it?
Change is good. If you know your life isn’t exactly compatible with
the Truth, change will be even better.