2 Chili Dogs with a Peach on Top!

Unhealthy Habits

585 calories! Yep, that’s the average calorie count in a chili cheese dog. Recently, when my husband requested two of these fat-laden food items for lunch, I was surprised. A few years ago he lost 40 pounds, and as a result, has implemented many healthy dietary and lifestyle changes. I thought those weighty-wieners that he was previously addicted to had been given a respectable burial.

When I questioned his craving for this high calorie concoction and reminded him of the other unappealing attributes of these darling dogs, here was his response: “Well, just put a peach on top!” In other words, his not-so-rational reasoning process concluded that if he finished his unwholesome meal with something healthy… everything would be okay. It’s as if he was saying that the healthy peach would cancel or nullify all of the bad snuggled between those two buns!

His rationale got me thinking. Sometimes, as Christians, we develop that same mindset. How often do we engage in unhealthy (and oftentimes harmful) activity during the week, but erroneously think that one visit to church on Sunday will wipe it all out? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discrediting the power and proper place of church and repentance. Certainly, when we repent with sincere regret or remorse, God hears and responds. No — I’m referring to habitual, unhealthy practices Monday through Saturday simply because Sunday is on its way. Using church as a crutch is dangerously deceptive. Why? Because for some, Sunday never comes! Only God knows when we will breathe our final breath.

What is your unhealthy habit — that one thing that you practice every single week? Lying? Unforgiveness? Greed? Pornography? Pride? I’m quite sure an occasional hotdog never killed anyone. I’m just as confident that an occasional sinful act without premeditation is easily forgiven. But, to have a steady diet of something so fatty and loaded with additives on a regular basis would not be healthy. In the same manner, a lifestyle of repetitive sins, simply because you can wash them down with a ‘peachy’ sermon on Sunday, is not healthy. Let’s ask God to help us live a holy, healthy life every day, so we don’t have to depend on that proverbial peach!