Lent- Day 5

I know I haven't been keeping up with my Lent blogging, but we spent the weekend in Kansas for my cousin's wedding, and have been a little busy! However, I must admit these past few days have been HARD. Every time I turn around, I want a coke. Then I think to myself, 'Oh, I'll just have a Sprite or sunkist or something'....nope, no carbonated beverages. I'm finally beginning to get over the caffeine withdrawal headache, and now it's just pure cravings. I couldn't even drink the punch at the wedding last night because it had some pop in it. Boo :( My favorite part about weddings is the cake and punch, no lie. So, yep, it's been difficult and I'm only 5 days in. But I CAN DO IT! I know I can, because any time that temptation arises, I know where to turn, and He alone can take away all temptation and allow me to succeed. I just need to rely on Him to get me through. And truthfully, that's what this period is all about. Sure, I could give up drinking coke, and probably do it all on my own. But I don't have to- God will see me through and provide for me in the darkest of hours. (Not to say I'm facing dark hours because of my choice to give up coke, but you hear what I'm saying.) What I'm getting at is this- God wants us to give up all of ourselves to Him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So I'm starting with this. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm giving up coke for good, just that during this time, my sacrifice of a wordly thing that I enjoy SO much, I'm turning it over to God. I don't need it in my life, especially since it has reached a level where it truly consumes me to a certain extent. So why would I want something so meaningless as a coke come between me and my Savior?? Instead, I'm using it as a building block, to get closer to Him. He will see me through this trial that He is aware I am going through. He cares about even the smallest details of our lives, and I know He cares about my desire to do this for Him.
Any time I feel the urge or the craving for coke, I am reminded of the sacrifice I have chosen to make. It prompts me to pause and ask God to hold my hand through the weak moment, and to make me a stronger person. Then the thought continues to to sacrifices Jesus made for me (and you...and you...and you). Holy cow...that was WAY bigger than coke!! What if God asked me to sacrifice cable? or the tv itself? or driving my car? or sleeping in my nice, big, warm bed? These are all things we are accustomed to in our lives...at least as Americans. Did you know that if your annual family income is $50,000 or higher, you are better off financially than 99% of the world's population?! Talk about a reality check...as I sit here typing on my laptop computer, from the warm comfort of my OWN bed, with the tv droning on in the background I am thinking, there's nothing extravagant about my life. But, oh, how wrong I am. I live in a country where my children can play with children of other "ethnicities" (when all my children see are more friends to play with!), a country where we can choose the church we want to worship in (and really whether we want to worship the Lord or not), where I can drive freely around my city without worry of roadside bombs, I can leave my children at Mother's Day Out while I finish up a college education so that I will one day have a successful career of my own, in addition to my wonderful family. I am so blessed, simply by the zip code I live in, and I know God put us here for a reason. I pray we will be the seeds that He needs to go forth and spread His truth and love. To show the community, state, nation, and world what God's love and kingdom is truly about- LOVE. Selfless, unfailing, forgiving LOVE.
So during this time, another of my prayers is that God will help me to focus on the things He has enriched my life with and blessed me with, instead of the things that have been "taken away" by this season. I pray, you too, will choose the path of least resistance with God, and that you will open your eyes to the blessings that far outweigh the sacrifices.