[Faith-talk] {Spam?} Daily Thought for Saturday, May 21, 2016

[Paul Smith]

Hello and greetings from a rainy, damp and cold Baltimore, and I'm sure 
the same is true of other areas here in the mid-Atlantic region of our 
country.  No matter what the weather is in your part of our country or 
even the world, I hope that you are all faring well today, by God's 
matchless grace and His providential care.

The author of today's contribution, Andrea Canale from New York, is 
another one of those whom you probably never heard of before.  She 
treats the subject of addiction in her article "When God Gives You 
Oranges," rendered as follows:

I was an addict.  I wasn't addicted to an illegal narcotic; 
nevertheless, my addiction was so powerful that I needed it to function 
every day.  As I dragged myself out of bed each morning, my first 
thought was, _I _need _coffee.

I appreciated its enticing aroma and the rich, robust flavor.  I 
anticipated the warmth and comfort with each steamy sip.  While I liked 
all of this about my coffee, the one thing I couldn't live without was 
the caffeine.  Without it, everything about the cup of joe would be 
unappealing.  It wouldn't be the same if it were decaf.

Before I went to college, I worried about how I would get my coffee.  
My parents recognized my concern and my first graduation gift was 
everything I could've asked for--a coffeepot. From there, each present 
I opened was coffee related:  bags of coffee, filters, travel mugs.  
These were the best gifts anyone could have given me.

In the first few weeks of college, I fell into a routine that began 
with coffee.  While drinking it, I checked my email and Facebook.  
Then, I would text a few friends.  Eventually came classes, homework, 
and studying.  Soon I realized I couldn't get through my day without 
coffee, Facebook, and texting.  _Was _it _possible _that _I _was 
_becoming _addicted _to _my _computer _and _phone, _too? All of these 
addictions became too much to handle.  My life seemed to be ruled by 
the Internet and caffeine.  It scared me to think about what I would do 
if I couldn't have these things.

I feared getting my midterm grades.  These marks determined where I 
stood academically.  The anticipation rose as I slowly opened my 
envelope.  When I finally saw the results, my heart stopped.  The 
grades were anything but favorable.  Were they because of my 
addictions? That was when I evaluated myself on a deeper level.  I 
concluded that my addictive personality was getting in the way of my 
academic performance.  I knew I had to give up Facebook and texting.

On the day I vowed to give up Facebook and texting, it wasn't as hard 
as I thought.  I hid my phone in a coat pocket in my closet so it would 
be out of my way.  I didn't open my computer unless I had to write an 
essay.  As I thought about how easy it was to get over the addiction to 
the Internet and texting, I realized I also had to get over my 
addiction to caffeine.  I was up to five cups of coffee each day! I was 
only 18 years old, and my body was dependent on a drug.  I gave up 
coffee for good.

If I ever felt the pull of coffee pulling me in, I looked at a picture 
of Jesus on a cross.  This image reminded me of how He sacrificed 
Himself so I could go to Heaven.  If Jesus could die for me, I could 
suffer coffee withdrawals for Him.  My overindulgence of coffee pointed 
to a deadly sin--gluttony.  God has given me the strength every day to 
overcome obstacles.  So, I asked for His strength to get over caffeine. 
I asked for a sign that it would get easier.  He gave me one that week: 
oranges.  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  When God gave me 
oranges, I used them to get off caffeine.

Knowing the coffee would tempt me made me dread going to the cafeteria. 
When I would walk into the dining area, the first thing that would hit 
me was the powerful scent of the coffee.  As I made my way to the 
coffee cups, I spotted the oranges.  Their burst of color drew me to 
them.  The citrus fragrance tempted me further.  Why hadn't I eaten 
them before? At that instant, a message I remembered from Bible study 
years ago jarred my memory.

The instructor distributed an orange to each student.  "I want you to 
get to know it," she said.

I felt silly, but I did it anyway.  "Hello, orange." I ran my fingers 
over its bumpy surface and laughed quietly as I thought about what I was doing.

"Does everyone think they know their oranges?" the instructor asked.

The class murmured sarcastically, "Yes."

"Good." She placed the empty basket on my desk, "Put your orange back 
in.  I'm taking them all back!"

I was flabbergasted because I thought it was mine.  Thankfully, the 
class was told that we could claim our original oranges out of the huge 
basket on the front table.  _How _will _I _ever _find _it? As I pawed 
through the collection, I was shocked when I actually found it.  I was 
able to identify my orange by the bruises and indents on its skin.  I 
learned from this experience that recognizing our flaws is the method 
Jesus uses to know and love us.

Remembering this scenario made me smile.  Jesus was watching out for me 
and still loved me regardless of my addictions.  I looked forward to 
meal time again because I knew that basket of oranges would be waiting for me.

As I sat down with my friends for lunch, one of them asked with a 
confused expression, "Andrea, where is your coffee?"

"I'm not drinking that stuff anymore," I said with a smile as I started 
to peel my orange.  In the end, it was this fruit that gave me the 
willpower to overcome my addictions.  This orange reminded me that God 
loves me--flaws and all.

And there you have Andrea's testimonial article which I trust was food 
for thought for all of us.

When she wrote that she was drinking up to five cups of coffee per day, 
that reminded me of the lady who ran a private nursing home in northern 
Virginia who came to our hospital because of an ulcer.  She told her 
gastroenterologist that she was drinking 40 cups of coffee per day and 
smoking five packs of cigarettes per day also! Man, but am I glad I'm 
not a patient in her private nursing home.

Now about the Internet for me and I'm sure others also, that's a 
different story.  I just love surfing through all the various radio 
stations, but in addition to that addiction I'm also very fond of 
hearing live voices of people whom I know, especially four very sweet 
people whose names I won't disclose.  The Lord has brought them into my 
life, and I just can't imagine life without hearing what they have to 
say.  So my addiction is my computer and these four peoples' voices.

And that will do it for today.  Don't forget that tomorrow in this 
space will be the weekly Bible trivia game poem, then based on a book 
and chapter of the Old Testament.  Until then may the God of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in 
these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul