Ode to Holiday Feasting

photo courtesy of Apolonia @freedigitalphotos.net

 

My pants are size four.

I'm not anymore.

I know a quick fix.

I'll buy a size six.




photo courtesy Mister GC @freedigitalphotos.net

 

The sixes were great

'Til I over-ate;

And at this new weight

I now need size eight.

 

I did it again.

I'm up to size ten...
No-wait. That's not right!

My tens are all tight!





photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography @freedigitalphotos.net
 

Cookies, cakes and pies galore,

One bite always leads to more.

What can stop this upward roll?

Oh, that thing called self-control.

We're our own harshest critics. We beat ourselves up over perceived failures. But we can break free from the things that hold us back, and hold us captive.      

 

In my next post I'll confess what I'm struggling with.

 

And share my plan to finally overcome it.

 

What's in it for you? An opportunity to break free yourself.

 

What challenges do you face? Is there a habit you haven't been able to overcome?

 

In my next post I'll share a way we can link together to break the chains. 

Meanwhile, here's some encouraging news:

 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Gal 5:22-23.




photo courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti @freedigitalphotos.net


God's got our backs. We don't have to do it alone.
Please share this with your friends who are struggling, because I see victory in our futures. As for the niggling little voice that just told you, "Maybe for someone else, but not for me." Tell that liar to sit down, because YOUR victory is at hand. 

Intruder Alert!

Bright morning sunlight streamed through our living room window. I ran the vacuum over the carpet, preoccupied with today's to-do list.

Do the drapes need cleaning? I wondered. I glanced toward them and froze.
                                                      

     

A dark haired man crouched in the bushes directly beneath the first-floor picture window. I left the vacuum running and flattened myself against the closest wall.

Earlier that morning our local police department had reported an upswing in the number of daytime break-ins in our area.

Calm down Jeanie, I told myself, It's probably the electric company guy coming to read the meter.

I crept back to the window for another look.
Definitely not the electric guy.
I hid in the drapes and peeked again.

The man was still there, motionless. Worse, I noticed another person in the same crouched position, wearing a white head covering. They both faced the street.

                     I can't believe burglars are here.
                           In the suburbs.
                                In my bushes.
I slithered from the safety of the drapes, and slunk along the wall toward the phone to call 911.
The people outside hadn't moved. They held utterly still, facing away from me.
I looked closer. There was something familiar about the pair.
                A dark haired man. A woman with a white veil.
Sheepishly I turned off the vacuum and set the phone down.

I'd almost called in an intruder alert on the plastic figures from our nativity scene.

The nearly life-sized Joseph and Mary were bowing, focused on plastic baby Jesus.

As my heart slowed its frenzied conga beat, a thought struck me:

Will I make Jesus my focal point this Christmas, or put him on "intruder alert" status?

Will this holiday season be so filled with my to-do lists that I neglect faith, family, and friends?

"Sorry, I don't have time to spend with you; I'm too busy doing things for you."
What's on our to-do lists this season? Shopping, baking, parties? I love it all!

But are we so caught up in Christmas busyness that we neglect the reason for it all?            

The reason for Christmas is this:

"For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10.

Who's lost? All of us without Jesus.

Instead of putting him on intruder alert, we can invite him in.

It's simple.

"Jesus, please forgive my sins, and be my Savior."

If we do that, we'll get the most amazing gift ever-a new life!
 

And as for our to-do lists? Let's put those on "intruder alert" status.

Photos courtesy of chanpipat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

and imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.