Craving

~I John 2.15-17

The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see . . . . These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

My biggest craving struggles are with sweet foods: ice cream, cookies, brownies, blueberry pie. Robert Lustig, professor of clinical pediatrics at UC San Francisco, argues that sugar is a toxin, with a metabolic function similar to alcohol.

FYI, here are some of the things I do fairly well at avoiding and have come to not crave as much:
1. sweet drinks--save those calories for chocolate :-]
2. sweet breakfast cereal, except maybe as a dessert later in the day
3. high-calorie, store-bought, white-flour, white-sugar, no-fiber products
4. candy, except fair-trade, extra dark chocolate
5. artificial sweeteners
6. sweets before lunch, except fruit

I try to switch off to fruit, dried fruit, nuts. Really, there are so many good things to eat. My occasional homemade goodies are high-fiber and cut-to-half sugar. Dark-chocolate-covered almonds, my favorite, get a pass.

Still, I crave sweet things, especially chocolate and ice cream, and sometimes it's hard. During my lunch, I'll think ahead to what I can have after I eat all the yummy veggies. sigh.

Confession

~Philippians 4.11-14

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ,[a] who gives me strength.

Confession time: I wrestle to get through a day without chocolate.

Taste What You Want

~Colossians 2.16-18a

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial . . . .

~Colossians 2.20-23

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

With affection I say that Paul is such a liberal! Look at that. So, while I should maybe be more attentive to what my own heart (and body) tells me about what to eat and what not to eat, I needn't worry about restrictions from others in this area.

Does ice cream hesitation make it sin?

~Romans 14.22b-23

Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

For me, this verse is different. Since it's linked to the verses about causing others to stumble, I assume Paul is carrying through on the same thought here. BUT to me this is about looking at a a carton of Bryers Rocky Road and thinking, "hmmm. I already had some chocolate today. Probably I'd be better off to pass this up." I'm not thinking of others at all. Indeed, I don't know of anyone who would tell me that I shouldn't eat several servings of chocolate a day if I want to, given that I'm in good health. No. For me the issue is that I know that an abundance of desserts is not a great nutritional choice; my grandpa died of diabetes; my bones need more alkaline and less acidic food. So I know that the ice cream is not the best choice and I hesitate. Paul is saying here that given these doubts, if I indulge that's sin.