I have been "off" diet Coke for going on two weeks. It has been quite a difficult endeavor because I was addicted to it...I love the taste of it; the feel of it going down; and the sound of the can opening and the forthcoming fizzzzzz that followed...
In my quest to quit D to the C, I have learned two things. First, diet coke was my homeboy and has been for at least twenty years. I still crave one (or two or three) everyday, and I must admit old habits die hard. The second thing I have learned is that a girl cannot live on diet beverages alone. I was trying to satiate a physiological thirst with something that was never made to hydrate the body. This might explain why my day looked like this...
Thirst hits. Crack open a can or pull into a Sonic. Drink. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...
I'm still not a "water drinker extraordinaire" but I do take in enough now to realize what it feels like to quench my thirst with the right stuff, and how far off the mark I was when attempting to quench it with a diuretic of all things (isn't it ironic?).
As I consider what it means to quench my thirst with the right stuff, I wonder in what other areas of my life I am attempting to satisfy a legitimate need with something that was never meant to meet that need??? Wonder how many times I have gone shopping to derail stress, when the entire time I knew I needed to be still in His Word? When I have I used television, movies or media for "medicinal purposes," hoping to escape my reality, rather than facing it contemplatively and purposefully. What about the times I have eaten more food than I should, or not enough at all to soothe some inner turmoil, when I could've chosen to talk it out or better yet, pray it out? Or when have I opted for "stepped in deeper puddles" relationships, so I don't have to take risks in authentic ones where people might see the real me, or challenge me in some uncomfortable way?
It is tempting to fulfill my needs with things or habits that were never meant to meet those needs in the first place. Essentially it's choosing to go down the quick and easy road. But I've learned in my relatively short life, that most often the quick and easy road dead ends and you have to back track anyway, or it just takes you in circles--getting you nowhere fast. So you might as well meet the need in the right way the first time around, even if it's a harder path and takes some level of sacrifice.
Hmmm. Definitely food for thought (or drink for thought as the case may be). Never would've dreamed I'd learn so much from from my "diet coke detox journey," when all I thought I'd get out of the deal was a headache and grumpiness?
Actually I shouldn't be surprised... I have a loving God Who takes part in what's real to me and willingly uses simple things, like saying goodbye to a delicious beverage in a white, red and silver can to teach me what I need to learn and draw me closer to Him.
1 comment:
Mindy, this is so beautiful!! How True, as well. some would say "what's the big deal--diet coke?"; yet, if we use it to feed our souls, we are not turning to our Lord for our nurturing and our comfort. Addictions, we all have them, whatever they may be. I am so proud of you. I gave up coke a year and a 1/2 ago, for health reasons. I have never felt better. WATER IS GOOD! If it helps, I know a vet who knew a lady that gave her horse a coke everyday (this is all true, by the way). she asked if she should switch to Diet coke. He told her "absolutely not! If people knew what was in diet coke and what it did to us, no one would drink it." My brother in law, who works for Coke, would not be happy with me right now!!; )
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