Humor

---

Ooh, those potato chips sound good right now..., she thought.

But I shouldn't. I bought those for the party, not for me. I'm staying away from junk food, remember?

This mental conversation with herself, or one just like it, was not new, unfortunately. She knew food held too important a place in her life--for her it was a form of idolatry. Yep, she knew it well.

All too well.

But potato chips! One of my all-time favorite foods! Why did it have to be that?

Then again, it's kinda unlikely that I would have been asked to bring beets to a party, now isn't it?

She left the kitchen and busied herself with other things. For a while, the chips were forgotten, and all was well.

But eventually...

...she was back in the kitchen with the leftover-from-the-party chips calling to her, and quite convincingly, from the cabinet.

"We're crunchy!"

Mmm, yes, crunchy. Crunchy, crispy, thin, and yummy.

"We're salty!"

Salty. With a tall glass of iced tea!

She stood and thought and listened and swayed and waited and stalled and thought some more.

I wonder how much of the bag is left, anyway. Probably not too much. Just a handful.

The chanting from the cabinet was louder now: "Crunchy crisp potato chips! Crunchy crisp potato chips!" "Crunchy, crisp potato chips, Yum! Yum! YUM!"

She wavered, across the room.

So they tried a new angle: "And we're a BRAND NAME, too, not the store brand, because you bought them for other people."

I'll betcha that bag must have only broken pieces in it. It's not like I can serve them to anyone else now. And, since I live alone, who else is going to eat them? Am I just going to waste them and throw them away?

Yep, it was as simple as that. She knew the Lord was pleased with her as she threw the bag in the trashcan, closing the lid with a flourish.

"Whoo-hoo, I DID it!" she crowed, to no one on earth, but the heavenly crowd of witnesses heard it. Mentally patting herself on the back, she proceeded with her day.

After vacuuming, mopping, and dusting, she headed into the kitchen for something to drink.

That bag of chips is right on the top of the trash, you know. It's not like the chips are dirty or anything.

You could still eat them, and no one would know.

You've burned off so many calories today--it'll be a wash!

And the final, sick and twisted lie: You were such a good girl earlier, resisting that temptation. Reward yourself for it now! Why don'tcha have some chips?!

Moving quickly, she flipped open the lid of the trashcan and snatched up the bag of chips, the object of her temptation...

...but in her haste, she had grabbed one of the bottom corners of the bag by accident, and the crispy, crunchy, thin, salty and delicious potato chips slipped out of the bag and into the recently swept up dirt from the floor.

Her jaw dropped as she watched this golden downpour, witnessing the ruination of the chips.

Delicious no more.

Then she clearly recognized God's loving involvement in this small but large moment of her life.

Her eyes turned upward, her hands hit her hips, and she said, "Oh, God, You are SO funny!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (I Corinthians 10:13, NIV)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*This is a true story.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR