No, I did not get up early to stand in line to fight my
fellow man for huge discounts on Christmas gifts. Not this year anyway.
This black Friday I did my best to overcome a
Thanksgiving Hangover. No, I didn’t fall
off the wagon. Although my family did come over to celebrate Thanksgiving with
wine and German beer, all I had to drink was Coke Zero.
You see, I have been training to run 5ks without dying
and trying to lose weight. I have had success in doing so because I have been
extremely disciplined in my exercise regimen and in what I eat. On Thanksgiving I rose early, exercised like
normal, and went down to Rhinebeck for Ferncliff Forest’s 8th Annual
Turkey Trot. It was 30 degrees and I put
on a lite fleece, a winter hat, and gloves to keep warm. I over compensated for the cold though
because 5 minutes into the race I could feel the heat and my sunglasses started
to fog up. It was okay, I thought not being able to see would keep me focused
on running. I finished 27 out of 37 in my age group, so not so great, but
whatever, I didn’t die!
After the race, I went home and Michele had the turkey in
the oven and everything ready to go. My Dad, brothers and their girlfriends,
and my stepdaughter and her boyfriend all showed up and the feasting
began! I ate turkey, Michele’s awesome Italian
sausage stuffing, peas and carrots, chips, salsa, crackers, cheese, pepperoni,
cheesecake, buffalo chicken dip, brownie cupcakes, and 4 20z Coke Zeros.
After training, my body is not used to eating so much
and/or so many carbs. So Friday, I rose
early and it took much longer to get through my regular work out. I did some online shopping for Christmas and
then I took the kids into town go to Game stop so Haley could pre-order this
game she has her heart set on. We went
into Walmart just to see the aftermath of Black Friday and seeing the picked
over displays and frenzied shoppers sort of made me sick, or maybe it was my
stomach. We left after a few minutes
without purchasing anything.
After hitting the drive through at McDonalds, we went
home and then, much to my shame, I was surrounded by leftovers, so day 2 of the
feast was on: Leftover turkey, gravy, stuffing, cheesecake, apple pie, and then
turkey tetrazzini for dinner!
After a day of watching movies I didn’t enjoy, scrolling
through social media, and filling up on food just to get rid of it, I felt somewhat
physically ill and spiritually corrupted.
I had indulged the flesh giving into every whim of desire. I felt like I had worked through most of the
seven deadly sins
(pride: I am
running 5ks, hosting Thanksgiving, and am just awesome!
greed: cyber
shopping
lust, envy: Facebook, it’s all about lust and envy… for
some people….
gluttony: Mcdonald’s
and thanksgiving feast = kill me now
wrath: AM I THE
ONLY ONE CLEANING UP?
sloth: lazy TV watching slug)
in 24 hours. So
last night I watched this series of teachings on Proverbs and it felt great to
reconnect with the word of God. After
getting lost in the flesh (even in this seemingly normal overindulgence), it
felt good to walk in the spirit even for just a short while.
Holidays are nice break from routine but when you overdo
the feasting (and in the past I used to overdo the drinking too) you see that
you sort of missed the point. It is nice
to gather together and feast but I lost sight of what I was supposed to be most
thankful for and to: God. I spent most
of my life trying to meet my needs, to feed my appetites, only to find out that
nothing material can satisfy. Our temporary natures in this universe guarantee our
eventual dissatisfaction with the things of this world. Physical objects age
and fall apart. Sensory pleasures fade
away. People (ourselves included) are inconsistent
and disappoint. Instead of going all out
feasting, I should have taken a moment just to enjoy a breath and to reflect on
the goodness of God.
The great news is as I walk this road with the Lord, it
takes me less time to get back on track. Every time things get out of balance I
know that I just have to turn back to the Lord.
I just have to follow what I think would be His will for my life. I am not always sure what that is but seeking
His wisdom in the word of God is always a good place to start. I sure am looking forward to Men’s Bible
study tomorrow morning. 5:30 am at Rock
Solid Church, in the basement, if you are interested.