Temptation

Temptation won't go away while being toyed with, while being given in to. Each time I, you, give in to temptation, we reinforce its influence in our lives. Sneaky how that works, isn't it? I am going to use an innocuous example: you have decided to make excellent use of your gym membership and Tuesday at 9 a.m, you are dressed and ready to go. The phone rings, and you say to yourself, "don't look, ignore, I will call back later" and off to the gym you go, temptation averted, goal attainment is now in sight. You park the car, enter the gym and your eyes fall quickly on an obstacle in clear view, alarms going off in your head, there he is, chatty Chester. The temptation is to give in to chatting, politely indulging Chester and wasting valuable work out time. You speak quickly to yourself, quietly whispering "I will say hello as I pass Chester on my way to the weight room", and you do! Second temptation averted. You have made it to the big leagues, the weight room and dang it, you are tempted again, and here it is, glaring at you, screaming at you...you are tempted to compare yourself to that person over there with the stellar quads, that girl/guys shirt is nicer and more athletic than yours and so and so's abs, you could never have THOSE! Here, you are here and you have been here before. What did you choose in the past? How come? What are you tempted to choose right now? What are you toying with exactly? Getting fit or becoming accountable for your own quads, shirt and abs? If you chose to stay, to work out, what exactly have you decided? If you choose to do the bare minimum, leave quickly, what exactly have you decided? It's January 10th people, and temptation is NOT going to go away. It is as ancient as sun rises and sun sets and while temptation can be considered singular, giving in to temptation repeatedly is called habit. Now we get to the nitty gritty and I will come clean as I am apt to do in this whole soul searching and accountability process. I like chocolate. I like it a whole lot. I have given in to the delights of chocolate, this sweet delicious temptation happily for years. Apparently, it isn't going anywhere or at least, that is what my writing is pointing to. Here's the truth, my ears itch when I eat chocolate, it is a reaction I have to the sugar and I am often saying "pardon" because my sinuses and ears get plugged up. I get sleepy and have cloudy thinking and very little energy or interest in the world when I eat chocolate. Now this may sound extreme but so is my chocolate consumption once I start. Hey, before you judge me, wag a finger and say tisk tisk, take a look at you over there with your third glass of wine/sixth beer; or you, in the corner, hugging your half finished huge bag of potatoe chips with dip at the corner of your salty mouth. I have to laugh at the imagery because temptation when it becomes habit turns us into caricatures of ourselves. What's my point, you ask? I don't know, what's YOUR point? What does giving into temptation do for you that saying no doesn't? Double negative permitted here because this IS the point. Temptation has that sneaky feeling because after given in to, it leaves wanting, and usually for more of the same. Let's stop toying with temptation and give in to the Life Abudant. One Love, One Life, all yours to Live.