Friday, March 10, 2023
“No Sugar (Artificial Sweeteners) Today”
Pooh, literally. That’s how everything will taste today without sugar. The coffee must be black. Iced tea must be unsweetened, Mountain Dew has to be zero sugar (it doesn’t exist), and margaritas and daiquiris are out completely.
Each Friday during the Lenten Season (the six weeks of preparation for Easter), we tackle another diet-related Challenge. Today’s Challenge is to remove all artificial sweeteners for 24 hours. As with all of our diet challenges, this Challenge begins the last time you consume sugar. So, if you haven’t had sugar since dinner last night, you just need to make it until tonight’s dinner for the successful completion of the Challenge.
Artificial sweeteners are not evil by composition. (Or, at least, I hope not because this author would be in real trouble.) Instead, this Challenge is designed to make us think before consuming food and beverages. Much of the stuff we consume contains artificial sugars or sweeteners, so if we concentrate on our intake for just a little while, we might discover some fantastic substitute food and drinks that promote a healthy body and spirit.
What can we do for God today? Let’s begin by avoiding artificial sweeteners for 24 hours. Can we do it and demonstrate to God that we are thankful? Yes, we can!
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV)
