Sugar & Sin

Ever since I was old enough to eat I've had a sweet tooth. When given a choice I'd always gravitate towards the delicious dish rather than the nutritious dish. I was the kid in the closet who ate a whole bag of chocolate chips or went back for a second helping of birthday cake, and I NEVER turned down a treat.

Now eight cavities, one really bad dentist, and a root canal later.....

I hate sugar.

...well don't get me wrong. I am still extremely tempted by it regularly. Like one of my friends said on facebook, "I need to lose some weight, stop eating junk food." *Few minutes later* "Oh my word. Is that a cake?"

However, now that I know what the consequences of eating sugar are and what it really does to my body, I am able to reason with my inner temptation for sweets and choose health instead of the momentary pleasure of a treat.

Still I must make an effort, due to the permanent damage I've acquired, to understand what I consume before I consume it. Also it takes even more work to stay away from sweets since sugar is everywhere and in everything. This culture I live in disgusts me. I have realized that the average American eats a sickening amount of sugar ever day. Have you ever gone to a potluck or a picnic? ....everything is tasty, delicious, full of crap that tricks your brain into thinking that you like what you're eating long enough for you to want another helping.

Sugar, sugar, sugar.

If it's not sweet we don't want to eat it. Food no longer has flavor, it's just sweet. Canned foods, boxed foods, bottled drinks. Everyone goes the easy route and has their food prepared for them and the direct result is a sick nation. Ask anyone about their ailments.... there's usually a wonderfully long list! God said that, "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" and so it isn't surprising that man rebels by buying their food from off of a grocery store shelf. Great is the price we pay for this laziness.....

All of my dental struggles and dealings with sugar have made me think of a spiritual parallel:  Sin.

Sin appears to be sweet. Delightfully displayed. Beautifully arranged so that it will be at a maximum temptation. Always lurking in every opportunity. "Sugar coated," is, not surprisingly, what we call it sometimes. It brings momentary pleasure but once you've sinned it brings you destruction.

Proverbs 6:27-28, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?"

What we do and what we consume is a choice. It is no mistake. Sure there are the things that happen where if we would have had the proper knowledge or instruction we might have chosen otherwise. Even in that case though, we often choose to ignore advice, wisdom and instruction and that's what leads to our "mistakes." How many times have you heard some woeful bloke say, "If only I'd have listened to so-and-so I wouldn't be in this mess."?
 
So, we can safely conclude that everything in life is a choice... whether it be choosing not to listen and therefore not having the knowledge to choose wisely, or just simply choosing the wrong things.

Sin and sugar. It comes in all sorts of different shapes and forms. Tempting, momentarily pleasurable, and it always ultimately leads to destruction.

Proverbs 13:25 "The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want."