Hope you all had a great week. Thank you, anonymous, for your comment and for reminding us that we do have to work at it "all of our lives" - the same way we have to brush our teeth "all of our lives", stay within a spending budget "all of our lives", raise the children "all of our lives" (even when they are married and leave home, right?). So this is another challenge, albeit a big one. Let's differentiate, though, between sacrifice and deprivation. Being deprived, "poor me", means being miserable and unhappy, jealous of what other people are eating, lusting after the sweets. Sacrifice can be explained this way: If you have ever decided to make a big purchase - a house, a car, a college education, often you have to make a decision to spend money in a more conservative way. BUT when you walk into that new house, sit on those leather seats of that brand new auto, or extend your hand to receive that degree, you smile and remind yourself that all the sacrifices were absolutely worth it. SO, when you "sacrifice" certain foods or certain behaviors and then you buy smaller size clothing, refrain from eating in an unhealthy way and then get a clean bill of health, ask yourself "was this sacrifice, or deprivation"? Wasn't is worth everything you didnt eat? There is nothing that tastes as sweet as the taste of having power over yourself and your destructive inclinations. No one ever goes to bed and says "I wish I had had that binge"; when you lay your head down on that pillow with the knowledge that you did the best things for yourself, no food can beat that lovely peace of mind.

So, we can look at this as deprivation OR accept the opportunity to take care of ourselves , a second chance to accept the responsibility which we have been commanded to do- to guard our bodies and our health.

How will YOU look at this challenge?