Monday, February 11, 2008

Consequences

Some years ago I discovered I was lactose intolerant. I began noticing it when my kids and I began "ice cream Mondays" -- every Monday after school we'd get ice cream somewhere on the way home. And every Monday afternoon I would end up in the bathroom for several hours with diarrhea, stomach cramps, and excessive gas. Finally I made the connection. Afterward I tried and experimented to see how much wiggle room I had. As much as I love ice cream, I began to feel that the results of trying to sneak some in just weren't worth it: the consequences outweighed the pleasure.

My pastor went through a similar experience when he had pancreatitis. He's a skinny guy with a high metabolism. The treatment for pancreatitis was not to eat, so he was pretty miserable for about a week. Sometimes whatever his wife was making would smell so good or he'd be so hungry he get a few bites -- and be rewarded with more pain. He learned that the consequences for giving in to his cravings were not worth it.

What I somehow need to get embedded into my mind is the same truth when it comes to overeating or eating the wrongs things. There are consequences, and they are not worth it. It may take longer to show up in the way of weight gain: the consequences certainly show up in failure to lose.

Why can I not keep those consequences in mind instead of the oh-so-temporary pleasure of something that tastes good?

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