Faith | It was a sweet temptation that came with a warning
It was there in black and white: DO NOT eat raw cookie dough.
I held the sealed package hesitantly, my sweet tooth calling. The hour was late, I argued. To heat the oven would take way too much time, and bedtime beckoned.
DO NOT ...
Maybe if I just peeked inside at the cookie dough, smelled the fragrance of chocolate chips, my gnawing desire would dissipate. But then, to my dismay, I saw the “Best By” date. This batch of cookies would never make it to the holidays. It was one more reason to take action, I insisted in the quiet.
DO NOT ...
What if I just took a nibble. Surely, a little tidbit wouldn’t be so bad? And really, who are “they” to tell me I should not eat raw cookie dough? Where were these rules coming from and why? Probably some control freak who’d had grumpy parents that never let him lick the spoon.
DO NOT ...
Why, the very thought of that tasty cookie dough had my mouth watering in anticipation.
I glanced at Sofi, my white fluff of a dog, eyeing me intently as I wavered. And then without further thought, I grabbed the chilled dough and savored the first bite ... and then another ... and then another.
I caved to temptation without thinking of the consequences. What seemed like pure ecstasy of the moment, shortly after turned into regret and pain.
Could it be there was a lesson to be learned, I questioned in the dead of night, my insides in rebellion? A lesson that went beyond eating forbidden raw cookie dough? What about the temptations that we all face in life that seem benign in the beginning, but can gain traction as we savor the thoughts?
DO NOT ...
Like that tidbit of gossip. How it can linger on our tongue as we lap up the tantalizing news! And really, isn’t it only fair that others relish this information, too? But in black and white the words are plain as day when the apostle Paul reminds us that we have better things to do with our time, no matter who we are. (1 Timothy 5:13) And the “frosting on the cake” is that God hates gossip. (Leviticus 19:16)
DO NOT ...
Or there’s that delicious person who’s totally off-limits, the one who belongs to another. Matthew 5:27-29 reminds us to avoid that second look, even a nibble, because it takes root in our thoughts. We only have to read the story of King David and Bathsheba to get the picture of a midlife crisis gone sour. (2 Samuel 11-12)
DO NOT ...
Whether it’s pornography that’s calling our name, or even illegal drugs to heat up our senses--all temptations are tantalizing in the beginning. But once we take that first bite, in time there are painful consequences. That’s why God’s instructions in the Bible are so clearly written: DO NOT ...
Take it from my experience with raw cookie dough. There was a reason it came with a warning label.
Lucy Luginbill is a nationally published Tri-City Herald columnist, religion editor and career public television producer and host. Her popular Light Notes column reflects inspirational and faith-focused stories. She’s been working in journalism for more than 30 years. lluginbill@tricityherald.com