Friday, March 28, 2025
“Caffeine-Free!”
Argh! It’s the dreaded “Caffeine-Free” Friday, one of the Daily Challenges that repeats each Lenten Season. If you haven’t noticed, each Friday, we face a different dietary challenge. The good news is that each Challenge is only 24 hours. The bad news is that we can’t consume caffeine today.
Have no fear! As with all our Friday, diet-related challenges, if you haven’t consumed any caffeine today, you’re already well ahead of the curve. Simply count backward to the last caffeine you consumed and begin counting from there. Once you arrive at 24 hours, you’re in the clear.
Another good thing about today’s Challenge is that all sugar is okay. So are all meats, cheese, and everything else. Come to think about it, considering the only thing I can’t have today is caffeine, this should be simple! The rest of the world is available to me!
If you’re thinking about Adam and Eve, then you’re on the right track. The first two people God created, Adam and Eve, could eat and drink anything they wished. Only one thing, the tree in the middle of the garden, was forbidden. As long as they avoided that one thing, they were safe.
But as you probably know, Adam and Eve finally gave in to their desires and took from the tree, against God’s Command. Of course, in that original story, we’re not told how long they made it without giving in to the temptation. They may have lived for thousands of years in the Garden of Eden before they broke the rules.
Compared to the Garden of Eden, today’s Challenge is simple: Caffeine-Free for 24 hours. We can do this and honor God. If you start to fall apart and think you’re not going to make it, take a few moments to pray, giving God thanks for the coffee bean. After all, God created coffee, so it can’t be all bad!
“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NRSVue)
