Eat dessert when its special

Today the book talked about how tempting desserts can be for people. I'm one of those people who DEFINITELY have a sweet tooth. My favorites are my mom's brownies, the fluffy cheesecake my mom made for my bday, apple crisp with ice cream on top, and cheesecake factory strawberry cheesecake.

The book said that in order to get in control of your temptations, decide to eat desserts only on special occasions. And special occasions "include not just the food itself, but also the setting and the people you're with." So instead of eating apple crisp as a dessert when I go out for lunch with coworkers, or have a random dinner, I should eat it maybe when I'm on a date, or celebrating a birthday. And even then, half it :) My mom's brownies I can eat when she makes them...cause we'll those are special occasions ie she doesn't make them unless I ask :) Well, not true. Sometimes she makes them for parties. And cheesecake. I like only fluffy light kinds so that makes it a bit easier for me. If I go to the cheesecake factory for something super special, I will indulge. If it's for a plain dinner or lunch...no cheesecake for me. Maybe a bite of someone else's :)

It says to make a list of events that are special enough, and my thing is that I can't really think of one, but I know that when it comes up, I'll know what it is. I'll weigh it, and decide whether dessert is worth it. Like last night the waiter brought us a dessert menu and one, the desserts were all frou frou, but two, I was happily content with my peach cider which was sweet and dessert like. Before, I wouldn't have thought of my drink as a dessert, but now, my mind is slowly shifting and I'm understanding and appreciating flavors, tastes, and other qualities of food and drink...and how to not overindulge :)

So I decided to bust out Romans 15 AND 16 that I could be finished with the book. Phew. It was a good book, and I learned and relearned a lot, but it can get dense and wordy sometimes :)

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:7,13

I liked the emphasis of loving, accepting, forgiving, etc. others just as Christ did for us. I think it plays on our idea of fairness. Because it was done for us, we should feel compelled to do it for others. The scale to which it was done for us is so large. I mean, forgiveness from Christ and his death, that's huge. How can we not try to accept and love others in smaller ways? I put the second verse because God has definitely filled me with joy and peace because I've been trusting him more. And this letter to the Romans has helped me trust and understand who he is more. I specifically remember times of joy, peace, and hope while reading. I'm so thankful that I can read this freely. God is good.