Two birds, one stone

Tonight I "celebrated" Fat Tuesday by cleaning out my cupboards in preparation for Lent but I extend that to a pretty thorough kitchen cleaning (if you consider the fridge to be outside the kitchen and since I didn't get to it, I am) for spring cleaning, too.

Side rant about spring cleaning. I have decided I am not a big fan of "spring" cleaning since who really realizes it is finally getting warm and sunny outside they are so excited that they aren't stuck inside anymore due to bad weather that they decided to stay inside and clean? No, it should really be winter cleaning and since most of the country isn't expecting a high of 82 tomorrow like we are, that seems fair. Okay, side rant is over.

But back to Lent. Now my sugar, corn syrup* and assorted baking chocolate stash are now put away in a top shelf to be used no more 'til Easter. My official lent rules are no dessert type sweets - goodbye brownies, cake, cookies, ice cream etc. Those I will keep around for cooking purposes but that isn't part of the real Lent, I just think it will help ease the sugar addiction. But to make life easier on myself I am doing away with all but my natural sweeteners: honey, molasses and maple syrup. (That means I can at least make my favorite homemade ice cream recipe on Sundays since it uses honey! That will also be nice to Craig since he will be giving up a lot of treats by default)

With all my talk about eating healthy, I could be doing this just as an excuse for more healthy eating, but I am really not. Overall, I live by the 80% rule - if 80% of my diet is healthy food, I'm not going to stress about that last 20% which more often than not contains ice cream. I am choosing this because I know that this is one area in which I really lack self control. Or a better way to phrase that is it is one area that I can see my lack of self control. I hate that and for good reason. Self control is important. Here are some verses I found on self-control to keep me motivated. And don't worry, they are positive and encouraging!

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray (1Peter 4:7b).

Self control is for men and women, young and old. And it's a gift that just keeps giving, helping you out with other disciplines like prayer. So basically, self control = good. But don't stress out about your lack thereof (she says to herself). When I said that it was a gift, it is:

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness (2 Peter 1:4-6).

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).

So self control has been promised to us. It's been given to use as a generous provision. It's being taught to us by the Holy Spirit. God isn't holding it back from us, doling out tiny doses to the "really good Christians." It's a fruit of the Spirit. But along with the grace God has freely given us comes the expectation that we will live self-controlled lives.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9).

He's giving it to us so he expects us to have it, fair enough. I won't be eating any big bowls of ice cream during the next 40 days, but I am hoping a big bowl of fruit of the spirit salad will be enough to keep my sweet tooth occupied.

* Don't tell anyone I even had that or they will take away my undercover hippie status but my favorite cookie recipe uses it and I swear I haven't used it since Christmas and I should just throw it out but they are really good cookies! So good, I don't even care that I might be ingesting mercury.