The Pop Tart

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I have a confession, but I don't have any intention of ceasing the thing which I am going to confess. So then, it really a confession?

And I don't think it's exactly a sin...

Possible Confession: I ate a Pop Tart for lunch.

In fact, I skip (or eat junk food for) lunch and dinner almost whenever Joe's at work.

You're laughing, I know. Like I said - it's not a sin to eat a Pop Tart for lunch. My Pop Tart is the result of sin, not the sin itself. (I got this "result" idea from Pastor Tommy Allen, who used this analogy for divorce. Read or listen to the sermon "Jesus...on Marriage" from April 10, 2011, and then listen to his other sermons because they're good.)

So what kinds of sins result in Pop Tarts?
  • Sloth, because I'm less likely to interrupt a movie to make myself a nutritious meal.
  • Not-Taking-Responsibility, because I'm not willing to give myself the necessary nutrients to perform my responsibilities. And then I "don't have the energy" to carry them out.
  • Being-Unloving, because I'm "loving my neighbor" (I pack Joe healthy food every day and make oatmeal for breakfast) but not myself.
  • Fiscal-Foolishness, because I am not eating quality perishable food that will likely go bad and be thrown away, and because I am eating snack food that was intended to be dessert in Joe's lunch.
Joe and I have allowances. Every month, I get fifty dollars to spend on WHATEVER I want, no questions asked. I keep track of my "me" purchases in an Excel spreadsheet (*coughnerdcough*). I was looking at everything I've purchased since we've started the allowance program. Here's what it consists of: Starbucks, candy bars, Jamba Juice, chocolate, and those Yoplait Whips: Chocolate Mousse. Joe's purchases consist of books, games, and electronics. My point is that different people have different guilty pleasures, and mine is food.

My other point is that there's nothing inherently wrong with pleasures. They turn into "guilty pleasures" when they we depend on and abuse them. The abuse of food leads to obesity and poor health; the abuse of tobacco leads to lung cancer; the abuse of alcohol leads to liver disease, and we all know that too much TV rots your brain.

What's your Pop Tart been today?

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