It began early for me...alternating mineral oil and baby oil as I greased up my skin preparing for maximum sun exposure when the weatherman promised a 'high sun index' day ahead.
Many July afternoons, my high school girlfriends and I would reposition our lawnchairs each hour like the arm of a sundial. When I began working at the local pool in my hometown as a lifeguard, I'd volunteer to cover extra hours for swim lessons, secretly plotting to bask in the mid-morning rays before the pool opened to the public at noon.
I love the sun. I'm also a well-educated woman. I've read the studies that say I'm likely to encounter skin cancer in the years ahead. The suspicious moles on my neck and back make me nervous, on occasion, but not worried enough to send me under the umbrellas and shade trees. I've watched the sobering YouTube videos pleading with me to rethink my addiction, I've seen the leathery skin of 70+ year old sun lovers, yet I persist.
I try to imagine what would cause me to seek shelter in a cabana, to lather up with 50+ SPF, it's a tough call. I'd love to say that my family members prompting would stop me, but it hasn't yet. The sunburns marked with blisters and peeling haven't made a difference either. Is God weighing in on this area
of my life? Is my assertion that my love of the sun is a way to enjoy His creation just a crazy justification?
The decision is mine. I will step into the shade when the benefits outweigh the risks, but for now I'm not ready. It's my normal and I can find enough sun loving friends who help me feed my addiction. We sweat it out together at our kids ballgames and swim meets.
What is your addiction and what would it take for you to give it up?
What has become so normal for you that you have no desire to change?
Is it the music you listen to or the shows you watch? Have you allowed yourself to partake for so long that you haven't got a clear perspective?
Is God whispering? Lean in and be still.
I'll be listening....in the sun.
we recently switched cable companies and with the new service we no longer get a certain channel that have all my "trashy" tv shows. I was upset, how could they not have the ONE channel that I was so addicted too? But maybe God has been whispering and I just wasnt still enough to hear his voice. I must say, I really dont miss the shows....well maybe just a little:)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting and for your example...I still miss "those shows" on occasion too! xo
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