Temptation and the 5-Second Rule

I love peanut m&ms. I mean, I love them so much that I could consume an entire XXL bag if I just let myself go. And yesterday, I probably would have been tempted to do so; but, the good Lord gave me a way out through my innate clumsiness.

My daughter is an elementary school teacher. And at the end of the year she often receives gifts of appreciation from her students/parents. One student gave her a XXL bag of peanut m&ms, which she so thoughtfully offered to me. Wisdom and experience told me to say, “No, thank you. I am trying to lose a few pounds”. But the foolish me said, “yummy!”, thinking I would only eat a few at a time, over several days. And as soon as I ripped open that bag, the pea-nutty, chocolaty smell began to melt my resolve. One handful. Oh, maybe one more. Well, I was going upstairs to work out; so, maybe a few more for energy....

As I grabbed another handful and turned away, I accidentally tipped the top of the bag and a rainbow of m&ms began to pour from table to floor. My first thought:  Five-second rule! (Don’t tell me you have not been tempted to use this rule before: Drop it—and if it is on the floor for less than five seconds—it’s all good!)  

“Oh, there’s a piece that doesn’t have floor on it!”

I scrambled to pick up a few; but, quickly realized that even the five-second rule wouldn’t help me salvage these babies. I had not vacuumed the floors in several days; so, mixed in with the candy were tufts of hair from our three large mixed-breed dogs, Asher, Toby, and Tori. 

Temptation urged me to sweep them all up and blow off the hair. But I stopped. I thought about the Apostle Paul’s own admission:

I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate (Romans 7:15, NLT). 

How many times have I done things that I knew I should not, some much worse than gorging on m&ms, and then wallowed in guilt and shame for having given into temptation? As silly as it sounds, God provided a teaching moment here:  I can choose to do right. He always provides a way out if I keep close enough in relationship to Him to recognize it. 

I swept up the m&ms—and dumped them straight into the garbage. And I felt victorious. And instead of thinking, “Dang it, why I am so clumsy?”, I thanked God for allowing me the klutzy moment that helped me recognize and overcome my temptation.

So, my big victory is in not eating m&ms? Actually, it’s just a sign of continued victory in Jesus. A few years ago, before I really began to walk closely with God, I would have rinsed off the m&ms, ate them, and then, filled with guilt, would have spent about 30 minutes hunched over a toilet trying to throw them back up.  You see, I struggled with bulimia nervosa. 

The real struggle however, was not so much with a desire for food, as it was the need to fill a void in my life. For years I filled that void with the comfort of food (and other things—but that is another story, for  another day and another blog)—until I found that the Holy Spirit satisfied me more than anything on earth ever could. 

"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT).

The devil may know our weaknesses, those things that tempt us to lead us down wrong paths, mess with our minds and bodies; but, so does God. Satan is cunning. He can tempt us; but, he is not omniscient. He is not God. I have learned that the closer I walk with God, become familiar with His ways and His words, I see the way out clearer than before. And faster than “five seconds”.

Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 peter 5:8, WEB)