Lack of a caffeine buzz

I have taken the plunge, or lack of a plunge, for two days. No caffeine, unless you count the buzz in green tea, which actually is more medicinal than stimulating. Why am I doing this? I like caffeine and I love having my morning cup of chai as I sit and read my bible, while constantly having a little boy pursue me with relentless passion to see what new thing he has built. I can carefully hide my mouth with my HUGE mug that either smiles in pleasure at his new creation, or frown because I so desperately want to be alone for JUST 5 minutes. However, the habit must go, as I found myself sneeking chai’s and consuming up to three a day. You just can’t lose weight drinking 2 chai’s a day with raw whole milk and nice fresh local honey. Giving up the smell of those bitter tea leaves before they are dropped in–I am sad to see this 7 year habit disappear. I suppose I will start inviting more people over, so that I can make my company chai.

But I know that this habit can be overcome, even though it has been practiced for 2,555 days. I’m reading a great book, Getting to No: How to Break a Stubborn Habit, by Erwin Lutzer. To overcome a habit I must remember and believe three things, one of which has stuck to my bones more than the cream in my chai: I must believe that God is good. (Does this remind you of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe?) “If you can accept that God is good, two results will follow: First, you will realize that you can surrender to Him without reservations or fear of being cheated; second, you will thirst for change, understanding that the temporary watering holes of the world cannot compare to the everlasting springs of life that are in Christ.”

If I know that God is good, and wants my good, then I can part with my stubborn sin, knowing that God will replace it with something better. What is the better? Right now, probably weight loss, a closer walk with Him, getting rid of the idol of food, a lower grocery bill, and more energy to play with my family.

OK . . . time for some green tea. It just isn’t the same. But hey, 40 days to make a habit? Pretty soon, plain old tea will feel like a treat. Right?