A 'Grand' Mistake

So, I have mentioned before that we are in the process of building a house. Here is a pretty recent picture of it. You can tell that it is nowhere near finished. This picture shows that the sheeting is only on the right part of the house, but now the sheeting is actually on the whole roof, but still we are far from done.

Anyway, today after working in my son's 1st grade class, I ran some 'house-associated' errands. One of those errands was to our local 'Grand Home Furnishings' store. I was looking at possible color choices for couches (or sofas depending on what area of the country you are from). I have picked out several fabric swatches and wanted to see if there are couches that would match them or if I am totally in la-la land when it comes to decorating my living room.

This week I have been trying to watch what I eat. I turn 35 on Friday and I am noticing that it isn't as easy for me to lose weight as it used to be. I would love (and I do mean love in the truest sense of the word) to lose about 15 pounds. Sound easy enough, but when you factor in my age and the fact that I live with two boys and a husband - not so simple a task. I have been trying to limit calories, bread, sugar, etc. etc. I know how to lose weight, I just don't always stick with the program (if you know what I mean).

When I entered the Grand Furniture store, a woman met me at the door with a Coke in a bottle and some popcorn (as they always do at this particular store - Ashley furniture on the other hand gives you bottled water and cookies - why do furniture stores want to feed you anyway?). I politely took the popcorn and Coke (who doesnt love a cold coke in a bottle?) and went on my merry way looking for the perfect couch. About halfway through my Coke and 'corn, I realized "Omigosh, I am not supposed to be eating this!!!" Not that I think Coke and popcorn are foods of the devil or anything, they just aren't part of my self-imposed eating plan right now. I messed up and never even had a second thought about until I was knee-deep in Coke and buttered popcorn. Do ya smell what I'm cookin' here? Can you see where I am going with this?

I have been to the Grand Furniture store before and I know they give out food and drinks, yet when I walked through that door I never thought one time about what I was supposed to be doing. There are so many times that we go places or get into situations that we know (or SHOULD know) to be dangerous to our walk with Christ, yet we go there anyway. There are people that we know to be gossips, liars, jealous of others, or just plain Life-suckers (people that suck the desire to lead a Christian Life right out of you), yet we choose to spend time with them. I hate to think of the times in college when I went to places that were not exactly wholesome. I put myself in situations where I had to make tough choices when it would have been better to just stay at home. We cannot let our guard down when it comes to doing what and being where God wants us to be. You never know the temptations that are waiting on you. Sometimes they are temptations or situations that we don't recognize as bad until we are smack-dab in the middle of them.

I wonder how many women in the world are flirting with someone who is NOT their husband? They know they should steer clear of him, but can't see the harm in simply 'talking'. Those are the women who end up in adultery. I wonder how many women associate with people who use unwholesome talk or are known gossips? Those are the women who end up with potty mouths or becoming a gossip themselves. I wonder how many women are friends with people who do not encourage their relationship with the Lord? Those are the women who end up falling farther and farther away from their own relationship with God.

My point is that there are so many temptations in life, we always have to be alert to the possibility that satan is at work in a heart or situation. There are times when we see something as harmless when in reality it is very harm-full. It all goes back to what I said in an earlier post. We have to pass EVERYTHING through the filter of Jesus Christ - EVERYTHING. Because just like the "harmless" Coke and popcorn, satan is always at work to trip us up in our walk with Jesus Christ and he is lurking where you least expect him.