February 10, 2010

Day 41

Weight: 199 lbs

Weight lost: -7 lbs

I love chocolate. I like coffee. I prefer to drink my coffee with a “shot” of chocolate. This morning I’ve parked at my butt at Caribou Coffee to plow through a procrastinated stack of emails… and to add this post to my blog. This morning Caribou is brewing a French roast dark. I ordered a cup and to make a good thing better, I added a package of raw sugar, some half and half and – confessions – three squares of a bar of dark chocolate I smuggled in just for the occasion. Ambrosia!

Chocolate must be divine. I admit my fetish. There is clearly something powerful about the stuff. And coupled with a fresh roasted cup of coffee, it carries a punch of near glory. I’m admitting it here: not all foods are created equal. Some – and I put chocolate at the top of this list – have more provocative, even seductive power than others. Real vanilla ice cream, t-bone steak, new potatoes with cream sauce and fresh peas, and semi-sweet dark chocolate… Powerful desires…

Today, I’m aware of the powerful way hunger and cravings drive my choices. I get something in my head, an urge that begins in my stomach, and I move heaven and earth to get it… I’m aware of this – and here’s the confession – because this morning I went way out of my way – literally – get hold of my chocolate. I actually drove one mile to my office before driving to Caribou because I’d stashed a chocolate bar in my office… I grabbed it, then headed to the coffee shop. Is that nuts?

How much do I desire God? Am I as addicted to him as I am to chocolate? It’s an almost silly, simplistic question, but I wonder.

“God, possess my hunger and drive my cravings. As much as I love chocolate, deepen my root desire for you. Make me obsessed with tasting you, with the sweetness of your presence, with consuming your goodness. As I take communion today, satisfy me, but also dissatisfy me! Make me long for more. Fill me, but make me aware of my infinite emptiness without you. Drive me to drive toward you. I want to be a addict for glory and grace! In Jesus…”

“The Eucharist Diet” adventure is my six month experiment taking daily communion and tracking and posting the results in my personal life, relationships, health, and body fat percentage.