Made to Crave: Chapter 1: Personal Reflection 1

From the book:

"One weight loss company personifies craving as a little orange monster that chases us around, tempting us to eat unhealthy foods. Take a moment to reflect on your own experience of craving, recently and over time."

Haha. I had to look this one up. We don't have network television and I was just plain curious what company the little orange monster represented. The verdict - Weight Watchers - my beloved choice of eating plans.

"If you could personify craving based on your experience of it, what form might it take? Would it be like the little orange monster or would it take a different shape? Describe what your craving looks like and how it behaves."

I'm not really into "little creatures" and I don't think about things in a personified way... I don't think. When I am craving something, I just think about THE food that I'm craving. In some ways I feel like the food is taunting me but not in a personified way, more in a way where it just keeps popping into my head over and over until I indulge.

"If you could sit down and have a conversation with this imaginary craving, what do you think it might say to you? What questions would you want to ask it? How do you imagine it might respond?"

Craving: Doesn't ____________ sound yummy?
Me: Yes, it does. That really isn't the best food choice for me or the baby.
Craving: Awww, you are in a stage where nothing sounds good, so "follow your heart" and have what you want.
Me: Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things..."
Craving: But it's just this one time. A little bit of ___________ won't hurt you.
Me: But I know my flesh and my flesh doesn't just want a little bit. My flesh wants a lot.
Craving: But you haven't had it in a long time. It will be okay if you indulge just a bit.
Me: Okay, I give up. Gobble Gobble.


If I were going to ask it questions I might say "In what way are you going to help my body." And I'm sure the craving would come up with a great answer. See, I think that my craving is just myself - so basically I'm arguing with myself. James 1:14 says "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed," so I know that it is not really an orange monster or even Satan tempting me - it's me tempting me. It's me being drawn away by my own desires.


I can't wait to dig in a little deeper and find out exactly how to deal with these temptations. 


What about you? What do you picture your craving as?