Why I Ran From a Pizza Place

The fight for discipline is not one that is easily won. As I had told you a couple of posts ago, I have been really trying to put certain disciplines in my life to not only better my life, but to near Christ in ways that never have before. Some of those disciplines are: working out often, organizing my mail, responding to people promptly and doing homework as soon as it is assigned. (which in college is almost a miracle) There are also some spiritual disciples that I am chasing such as meditation, frequent prayer, purity and Bible reading.

Sometimes these disciples sound nearly impossible. But the longer I am trying to practice them, I am finding a common idea that shield me many times from straying from these disciplines. That idea is the art of turning, and running.

I know that sounds, silly, and it might even sound cowardly, but I want to explain why it is exactly the opposite.

The hardest part of remaining pure is having the temptation of hotness in front of you. The hardest part of remaining in good physical health is having the temptation of "good foods" in front of you. The hardest part of remaining in prayer is having the temptation of spending your time doing something more exciting yet less spiritually fulfilling. The one way I have learned to fight these temptations was using the art of turning and running. Everywhere you go you will be faced with the temptation to lose these different disciplines in your life. YOU ARE IN CHARGE AND CAN NOT LET THAT HAPPEN... This leads me to my story...

I had just gotten done getting my hair at the Hair Cuttery in the shopping center by my house. It is so convenient that everything I need is right there. My gym is right next door, and I have been spending a lot of time there. So I walk out of the Hair Cuttery and immediately I am struck with the most incredible, Godly aroma's I have every smelled. Honestly, heaven must smell like that. I want to tell you all that I was also VERY hungry, This was 6PM and I had not eaten since breakfast.

However, I told myself I wouldn't eat that junk for two reasons. 1 - I was trying to get in the physical shape that I want to get in. 2 - I am trying to spend my money in ways that honor God in a non wasteful manner, there was perfectly good food at my house. So I knew exactly what I needed to do. I ran.

I am serious, I literally put it in high gear and ran across the parking lot to my car. Any normal person must have thought that either I was crazy, I had to go the bathroom real bad, or that my house was on fire. I knew that if I was going to be near that smell, that I was going to go get some pizza. I love pizza.

When I got home, I cannot even tell you how happy with myself I was. Through doing that I had even felt much closer to God. I was happy that I could love him by keeping my promises with him. I was happy I was trying to be a better person for him.

I was at the Pennsylvania Christian Teen Convention last year, and I heard a similar story that just sent chills down my spine. This guy and his girlfriend were in a car at some make out spot and were starting to go at it. The guy loved this girl SO MUCH that as soon as his thoughts began to become impure , he threw open the door and ran around the car screaming like a crazy many until his thoughts were no longer being thought up in the wrong head. This guy literally ran off his sexual tension! Hah. Never thought I would say that in a blog. But once I heard that story, I immediately was in awe by how much this guy loved her to do that. When I met the girl from that story, she simply said. "I know I can trust him around other women if when he was with me he was willing to literally run out of the car." That must be an incredible feeling to have.

To wrap it all up, sometimes the bravest thing you can do is learn to shield your eyes, turn your head or run from a pizza place if it's what you need to do to near Christ.