Oh Fudge

It’s Christmas and I have done many things fitting for the day that we honor Christ’s human birth – I read a few more pages in a classic biography about an incredibly devout pastor (Robert Murray M’Cheyne, by Andrew Bonar), I spent time in the Bible with my wife and kids, and now we’re getting ready to watch a biblical movie (The Nativity Story). All good stuff.

The problem is … that’s not all I did today.  I also consumed more than half a plate of homemade fudge that my sister in Oregon mailed us … and I feel slightly sick to my stomach as a result.

My lack of self-control with regard to that tantalizing tray of chocolates astounds me … and reminds me that I am still very much in process  … and that I need to go on a long run tomorrow to burn off all the extra calories I consumed today.

That’s how it is with following Jesus. We move forward in a few areas, but we may also slide back in some too – maybe some that are much more serious than eating a plate of fudge. I don’t want to become overly focused on my weaknesses and failures. The key is … am I moving forward with Him more than I’m sliding back … and, most importantly, am I trusting fully in the one who was born in Bethlehem but then grew up and died to atone for my sins? Knowing that I am makes this a truly Merry Christmas.