Discipline = A Harvest

When I was a kid, I hated vegetables....
LOATHED them actually.
McDonald's Chicken McNuggets and Hostess cupcakes were my best friends.
And every time Dad filled up for gas, I'd cry and beg 'til he bought me a treat from the food mart - always a pre-packed bundle of sugar and fat.
At dinner, Mom would force me to eat my veggies... literally having to hold my mouth open at times and shove them down my throat...
Did I mention I was locked in the basement on "timeout" many a time if I didn't obey and eat what Mom knew was good for me?
I'd still sometimes manage to hold them in my cheek and spit out later... (Shhh, don't tell!)
The deal was "eat your salad" or don't go play.
Gosh, I remember being on the verge of puking at the thought of spinach or avocado... YUCK!!!

But Mom didn't give up.
She knew chocolate and candy-corn were no wholesome diet, and if that's all I willingly ate on my own, she'd have to lay some ground rules about forcing some nutrients into my system.

Ironically, today, my desires in no way resemble that of my childhood.
Besides aquiring my own brain and sense of what's good for me, Mom's "forceful hand" eventually shaped my desires.
It's almost alien to think of the Tara that scoffed at the thought of a side of veggies....
How the T that called a Twinkie or a side of fries "dinner" is now a veggie-o-holic.... (Uuuupppss!)...
Funny how sugar, although yummy and a treat in moments, is the last thing my body craves, and another serving of salad has become DESIRABLE.

I'm certainly not perfect in any ways, but I was chowing down on my favorite meal at Corner Bakery the other day: whole grain bread with artichokes, zuchinni, avocado, tomatoes and cheese with a side of caesar salad and I thought to myself, "when did this happen??".....
"When did I decide I like veggies?
"When did what I want to eat become 'healthy'?"
"Why don't I ever wish to stop at McDonald's like I once did daily???"
"How did I let go of those horrible old cravings??"

I obviously can't pin point when cravings changed, but the undeniable truth is that my folks held me accountable for what they felt was best for my body.... and somewhere along the way my body's desires changed.

I think our God works in the same way... He holds a standard to our lives that isn't necessarily desirable at first, and doesn't event "taste" exactly right the first time, but by His grace, when we listen to Him and take heed of what He asks of us.... we change.

All of a sudden we crave what He wants for us, and we look back and almost wonder in awe "when did that happen??"
"When did this become the way I wanted to spend my free time?"
"When did I start to be the type to feel bad about gossip??"
"When did spending my money like this become important to me??"
"How come I feel different about interacting with the opposite sex??"
And so on...

I may or may not be making much sense, but the point is, when I was taking a big bite of my veggie packed meal, I had a small epiphany. I remembered the tears and stammering of my youth at the dinner table in our DC home...
and how I was so naive...
but my parents framed me, by their grace, to be a person that craves what is best for me.... (most of the time!)

God is even more faithful...
He wants nothing more than for our desires to align with His...
So I pray we take heed of the discipline He instills in our lives...
bc even though it's unpleasant at first, His promise is good that it later produces a HARVEST of righteousness and peace that we could never anticipate on our own...

Something to chew on.... ;)