What's your mammon?

"They had donuts at the meeting this morning."

My husband is a fit man: he hits the treadmill four or five times a week, runs 5ks and 10ks races regularly, and avoid sodas, fried foods, and other junk.  He can afford to pluck a donut out of that white rectangle holding delicious rows of glazed sweetness.  However, today he chose not to spend the 15 seconds it would take to chew on a donut and held a micro-celebration for it!

One of the readings during last week's morning prayer was from Matthew 6:22-24.

Having the donut would have been fine.  Like I said, he's fit and would have burned it off later this afternoon.  But there was another reason he refused himself the treat:

"It's almost like sin. You make the choice not to indulge in the pleasure for a minute and emerge on the other side knowing the benefits of making the good choice," he told me after the micro-celebration.

It's a bit dramatic to call a donut "mammon," but it's a microcosm of a larger addiction to quick fixes and right-now pleasures.  What are we spending our days thinking about?  By not grabbing the allegorical donut and purposefully deciding to choose what is spiritually better for us, be that taking a walk with someone we love, cracking open the scriptures, driving to sit with Christ in the adoration chapel, tasting blood when you really want to twist the knife in the ribs of that person who is WRONG AND NEEDS TO HEAR IT from you, or deciding to get off your rump to serve your spouse/sister/brother/mother/father/enemy.

Image from artur84 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Money is always neutral. Food is always neutral. Power is neutral. It's our attitude toward it that can be sinful. Worshiping money, over-indulging in food (or worshiping abstinence of food), desiring more than we need is what makes it an unrighteous place to put our attention.  

Consider keeping your hands occupied with something else when the top comes off "the donut box" and recognize that you A) aren't in an all-day state of lethargy afterward and B) can thank yourself for purposefully choosing what is right for you at that time.