Monday, May 08, 2006
As Fast as a Turtle!
Have you ever watched a turtle walking along comfortably without a care in the world, when all of a sudden a jolt, a tap, or a noise startles him? In an instant, he pulls his head and all 4 feet under his shell. He's quick. He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't look around and ponder the potential source of danger. Without a dilly or a dally, he turns to his shell for protection.
You know he's a smart turtle. But how about you? How quickly do you turn to the truth for protection when confronted with a tempting lie? The belt of truth is part of the Armor of God. It's there to protect us. But if you're like me, sometimes you might not have the belt of truth fastened very tightly around your middle. I left my belt of truth unbuckled this past weekend, and I fell for a lie. I happen to love cheese dip, and since I've given up sugary sweets, here's the lie I fell for:
THE LIE: "Since you're not eating dessert, you have to be able to indulge some of your cravings, and cheese dip is fine because it has protein and fat to slow down the sugar absorption!" Now if I were like the turle, I would make a mad dash for the truth. I would replace that lie with the truth immediately - THE TRUTH: "My body does not magically absorb and work off the calories from cheese dip just because I'm not eating desserts. What good does it do to let go of donuts if I'm just going to replace all those calories with cheese dip?!"
The truth is: My body will not magically absorb excess calories from any source. When people ask me why I'm not eating ice cream, when everyone else around me is, I calmly repond "Well, there's really nothing in the ice cream I need for nutrition, and my body can't handle those excess calories. My body just stores it as excess fat." That's the plain and simple truth. There are a few people who have such a high metabolism, they can eat junk food and their bodies don't store it as fat. My body is simply not one of them.
When I tell people the plain truth, they agree with me. It's logical and true. But the truth is, most people don't think about the truth while indulging appetite. We ignore the truth at the detriment of our own health. I need to remember that Jesus gave me the truth to protect me. I need to pray, and I need to wear my belt of truth. With the belt of truth, the next time I have one of those tempting lies pop into my head, I will remember the turtle. Iwill see how fast I can kick the lie out of my head and replace it with the truth. No hesitating. No rationalizing. I'll do it as fast as a turtle!
"Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me." Psalm 40:11
You know he's a smart turtle. But how about you? How quickly do you turn to the truth for protection when confronted with a tempting lie? The belt of truth is part of the Armor of God. It's there to protect us. But if you're like me, sometimes you might not have the belt of truth fastened very tightly around your middle. I left my belt of truth unbuckled this past weekend, and I fell for a lie. I happen to love cheese dip, and since I've given up sugary sweets, here's the lie I fell for:
THE LIE: "Since you're not eating dessert, you have to be able to indulge some of your cravings, and cheese dip is fine because it has protein and fat to slow down the sugar absorption!" Now if I were like the turle, I would make a mad dash for the truth. I would replace that lie with the truth immediately - THE TRUTH: "My body does not magically absorb and work off the calories from cheese dip just because I'm not eating desserts. What good does it do to let go of donuts if I'm just going to replace all those calories with cheese dip?!"
The truth is: My body will not magically absorb excess calories from any source. When people ask me why I'm not eating ice cream, when everyone else around me is, I calmly repond "Well, there's really nothing in the ice cream I need for nutrition, and my body can't handle those excess calories. My body just stores it as excess fat." That's the plain and simple truth. There are a few people who have such a high metabolism, they can eat junk food and their bodies don't store it as fat. My body is simply not one of them.
When I tell people the plain truth, they agree with me. It's logical and true. But the truth is, most people don't think about the truth while indulging appetite. We ignore the truth at the detriment of our own health. I need to remember that Jesus gave me the truth to protect me. I need to pray, and I need to wear my belt of truth. With the belt of truth, the next time I have one of those tempting lies pop into my head, I will remember the turtle. Iwill see how fast I can kick the lie out of my head and replace it with the truth. No hesitating. No rationalizing. I'll do it as fast as a turtle!
"Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me." Psalm 40:11
# posted by Karen Whitson @ 8:17 PM 
