How interesting. I looked at my entry from last year at this time. You will find it here.
It has begun…HOLIDAY FRENZY! 🙂
Even early in October, Sam’s Club was hauling out Christmas decorations and wrappings, suggested packaged items for gift giving. OH MY! It is that time of year again!
This time of year can be wonderful and horrible! I am just sure that God didn’t create snack size Milky Way bar morsels in the “Family Pack” size to TORMENT ME! How about you? How did you fare through this past week with candy abounding?
And this is only the beginning! The HOLY days are upon us! I hope I can remember they are HOLY days…and not justifications for me to indulge my flesh!
I have to laugh. This year, I did NOT buy one single solitary bag of candy. HUGE VICTORY! I didn’t even think about it! This is proof that God has been at work because left to my own devices I would do what I have done almost every other year!!!!
For instance, two years ago, I justified having a few bags of candy in the house because “What if there was a trick or treater at the door and I had no candy?” Never mind that we had gone the entire previous 4 years without a SINGLE knock on the door! I simply had to have the candy “for the trick or treaters.” HA!
I shared this with my accountability partner….that two years ago I kept dipping into it…quoting myself truisms about being free in Christ and so on…the fact is, all things are permissible, YES, but not all things are beneficial! How many 0 to 5 meals could I REALLY justify with “Friendly Size” Butter fingers as the main course? 🙂
When I realized that I could not stare down the candy and come out the winner, I made a beeline for the toilet…to throw it away! It didn’t even occur to me that it might clog things up! I just knew that if I put it in the trash at home, I would, at some point, if my past record is any indicator, plunge headlong into the garbage can to retrieve it at some point…and eat it anyhow! Have you ever done that? So have I…many times. What is so awful is that then the family thinks how noble and good I am for throwing it away…they never saw me retrieve it from the trash! I would sneak it into the bathroom and eat it there!!!! So two years ago, I had to had to had to throw it down the toilet! VICTORY!
Last year, I was tempted to buy it, but said no to the flesh. YAY! WE DO NOT GET ANY TRICK OR TREATERS! 🙂
And it is with humility that I say that this year, I didn’t even think of Halloween candy until my accountability partner and I were talking about it in email. God has done a HUGE work in me! To take me from what I was to what he is doing in me now! THANK YOU, Lord!
It is interesting to note other contrasts between last years post on October 31st and this year. The horse I was worrying about then and whether or not I should have him put down…well, this is us two days ago:
He is in training at my trainer’s place. He has been doing so well! Yes, winters are hard…and this one may be no exception, but this year, I have inquired about the two of us getting involved and volunteering with some therapeutic riding organizations. I can’t wait to see what happens! We have gotten some favorable responses so far. If we can do that all winter long, keeping him a bit active, maybe he won’t be so miserable and arthritic.
Last year in the post, I lamented about Daniel being such a liar and how worried I was about his future. Daniel has been transformed! He is confesssing sin, praying incredibly authentic prayers, reading the word, asking forgiveness of those he has wronged…even admitting when he hasn’t been truthful (and typically these are so mild that it is astonishing given how calloused his heart used to be!). God has been doing some AMAZING works in my life over the past year.
I PRAISE YOU, LORD!
