Rescued.

This fight is real you guys.   On the way home from dropping my girls at school one recent lovely morning, I was overwhelmed with the urge to go take a trip to our local McDonald’s.  I found myself fantasizing over of an order (or two) of their greasy, salty hash browns. Throw in an Egg McMuffin, some Cinni-melts, an OJ, and color me happy. 

Lord have mercy. 

I pictured myself all alone enjoying these tasty goodies…Then I thought about how I would feel if I went ahead with this plan…the way it would start my day out on the wrong foot, how I would most likely feel bloated and gross and guilty and how hard it would be to then make it to exercise, because HEY, the day would be “ruined” Forget exercise!  Keep eating!  All. Day. Long.

I recently read about using this strategy in a book called Influencer.  One of the ways we can avoid making bad choices is to picture how we will feel if we make the bad choice versus how we will feel if we make the better choice.  Like really “go there”—imagine how it would feel to wake up and fit into your clothes, being able to button them loosely around your waist, free of guilt...how it would feel to wake up with energy and joy and a sense that you made choices that were life-giving.   It’s not rocket science, but it works.

I resisted the Siren’s song of McDonald’s fast food.  But before you give me too much credit, I have to tell you that Jesus used a phone call to rescue me.  Seriously.  Because the phone rang, and I decided to answer it, I was busy talking to a friend and was able to make it home rather than to the Drive-Thru.  I am not really sure which choice I would have made had the phone not buzzed.  I would like to say I would have made the best choice either way.  But I’m not so sure.

Jesus knows my struggle. He knows how hard I have to fight for freedom—how I have to consciously choose to walk in it, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, choice by choice.  And sometimes it feels OVERWHELMING, this fight.  So I think He comes and rescues me all the time in these little ways…He does this over and over again.  Sometimes I resist the rescue and other times I fall back into His arms as He carries me out of danger.

The Lord is close to all who call on him,
    yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
    he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Psalm 145:18-19

So this is my latest life strategy—simply crying out for rescue---and looking up, out, around, and even within to see how He will come and continue to set me free.

I know He wants to do the same for you.

Rescued,

Christy