The Next 15

Life is just a series of baby steps. It is so easy to get caught up in the rush of things and to forget that there is more to life than just existing. There are days I've only existed and I regret the lost time spent in unproductive actions and decisions.
Sometimes I am just overwhelmed by the need to find a certain food to eat. It becomes an obsession. All I can focus on is the object and the immediate gratification I will have once I have it. It goes beyond the food addiction. It is an aspect in my life that I have to struggle with daily. I remember telling my family doctor how I will crave sugar. He gave me some very sound advice.
When I feel the need for sugar, wait 15 minutes. I tried this and it worked. If I don't give in to the craving immediately, the craving becomes weaker. Now I just set my timer and find something else to do. If, after the 15 minutes, I find I am still craving sugar I will allow myself to have a lollipop, a piece of fruit, or a cup of hot chocolate.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."
The times I have given into temptation are the times I have forgotten who God is. I forgot to rely on His strength and His promises to give me the way out of it. I can make excuses and say I didn't know but I would be fooling myself. The truth is, every action I take is deliberate...whether it is beneficial or not. The times my actions weren't beneficial, I made excuses for. I am ashamed of that but not because it puts a bad light on me. I am more ashamed at how it has made others think that mocking God and Christ in me is the reason for them not to believe that God exists and that Jesus did really pay the penalty of our sins.
I am not perfect and I will never claim to be. I am only forgiven and every day I wake up, I am given the opportunity to begin again. I don't have to continue living as if my past decides my present or future. When I am tempted to give in to my cravings...I breathe and wait for the next 15.
I wouldn't change these lessons for the world. Someday I will be able to look back and say that God have truly delivered me from this.