I'm addicted to dairy.
I don't really love milk, and almost NEVER drink it straight, but it's great on cereal and cheese is my FAVORITE thing ever. I would eat cheese over sweets almost anytime. Butter = AMAZING!
I really think that this situation is caused by my lack of dairy for the first 18 years of my life. From the time I was little, I was SEVERELY allergic to dairy. I didn't ever have regular dairy, and the dairy we DID have was all goat milk, or soy milk. Gross.
Over the course of college and living on my own in my 20's, I gradually ate a little cheese here and a little milk there, and eventually I think I either 1) grew out of the allergy or 2) introduced it slowly enough to become OK with it a little bit at a time. I don't really know - I'm not a doctor. BUT, I can eat a little dairy now and not have it bother me.
You know that commercial from the '80's: "Cheese, glorious cheese!" Well, that's my theme song. I LOVE cheese and could eat it on almost anything.
This speaks greatly to the human condition - always wanting what we can't have, or desiring that which is harmful to us. Dairy is really not great for me, and I would be better off if I went without for the rest of my life. But, I CRAVE it. It is the thing I want most, and whenever I have a craving it most likely involves bacon or cheese. (Let's discuss my cholesterol another day, shall we?)
What is your cheese? What is the thing you want, but avoid because it isn't really good for you, either physically or spiritually?
I hear people ask this rhetorical question all the time: "Why do I want this so badly? It is terrible for me!"
Or even sometimes: "I seem to only be interested in the guy/girl that I can't have."
I believe this is an ingrained part of our fallen human nature, and will continue to be a curse until the days of a new heaven and a new earth. We always seem to want what we can't or shouldn't have. These desires of the flesh often turn into behaviors, attitudes, or actions that are sinful. (" I know I shouldn't __________ but I just enjoy it so much.")
I am so grateful that God makes us whole, even in our broken state. I'm grateful that His love overcomes our human-ness. I'm living in His grace.
And going to eat a grilled cheese sandwich.
K
Great post, great comparison! Enjoyed stopping by!
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you!
Sigh. I live in Wisconsin. In my fridge at the moment: shredded cheddar, plus hunks of fontina and gruyere, along with a spreadable brie.
ReplyDeleteThat hankering for what isn't good for us goes back to the Garden; Satan did a good job of convincing us we deserved to eat that fruit, even though we knew it was off limits. No matter that we are new creatures in Christ, the echoes of that want still rear their heads every so often.