I love ice cream. But every time I eat a bowl in the evening, I regret it the next morning when I step on the bathroom scales.

Unfortunately, I still have the rest of the half-gallon in my freezer.

How much do I truly hate the weight I gained? Enough to throw away the rest of the Publix Premium Mint Chocolate Chip? Or do I justify keeping it and promise to change my ways after I finish the container? Do I cling to what will pull me right back into the behavior I want to avoid – even though the bathroom scales warn me to consider the consequences?

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a bowl of ice cream now and then. I’m using my ice cream story to illustrate a point. What if we replaced “ice cream” with a destructive habit, a secret sin, or something you know you shouldn’t have on your shelf or in your drawer?

Maybe your vice is a toxic relationship. You can’t bring yourself to delete this person from your contacts because you’re unsure if you can (or want to) live without them. You pray for God’s help, but you’re not ready to let go.

What happens in the meantime? Between the moment you first realize you’re dishonoring God and the time when you finally choose to repent?

Every hour – every minute – that we delay in acting on our repentance increases the risk of making other harmful choices and, even worse, moves us further away from the person Christ is calling us to be. The person Christ died for.

What if, instead, we immediately got rid of the “ice cream”? What if we agreed with Romans 6:2 (ESV):

How can we who died to sin still live in it?

The consequences of sin can be harsh, but they’re not the worst part. The real problem is how sin damages our relationship with God. Sin separates us from our loving heavenly Father.

Rather than asking ourselves, “Are the consequences of my choices worth it?” we need to ask God to help us hate our sin. To hate how it grieves a holy God.

What if we hated our sin so much that when we repented, we also asked for grace and insight to know how to keep from repeating the same disobedient mistakes?

Every time we refuse to remain in our sin, we move closer to the life God desires for us. 

And every time we die to sin, our days are better – even better than four scoops of Publix Premium Mint Chocolate Chip.

Before I close, I want to share a quick update with those who’ve been following my writing journey…Several weeks ago, I mentioned that Abundance Books wants to publish one of my children’s books! Like most publishers, Abundance Books asks authors to have a strong following. If you haven’t already, please join my Author Email List by sending your name and email address to the address below. To everyone who’s already joined—thank you! We’re at 591 contacts and steadily growing toward 1,000. I’m so grateful for your support!

Sheryl H. Boldt is a sales executive for Wave 94, a faith columnist and the author of the blog, www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. Connect with her at SherylHBoldt.Wave94@gmail.com.

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