Tempting Spam

I am the Queen of Spam. Every day, at least four times a day, I retire to my royal chambers for what's referred to in my house as the "Spam Festival". The only good news is that the eye-to-hand coordination required in the rapid fire hitting of the delete key may have some small benefits in staving off early senility...

Normally, I am 99.9% spam proof - I can spot it from a mile away. It's a finely honed skill. I'm always surprised thought that some people are tempted by spam. I'm constantly having to remind my poor mother that she really hasn't won the Lottery, doesn't have a long lost relative who's a royal duke in Nigeria dying of a dreaded disease, and won't be receiving that 78" plasma screen TV they're promising to send her.

That said, I am being tempted by the devil this week in the form of spam, and one in particular. For those who don't know me well, I'm a Weight Watcher. This July is my third anniversary as a Lifetime Member, which means that I've been able to maintain my desired weight for the past three years thanks to the beauty of counting "points". I love the program, because it has really worked for me. I also know that when I enjoy myself on a two week roadtrip, with stops at every fast food restaurant between Fresno and the midwest and back, I have to count points when I get home, to take off the excess weight I may have gained on the trip and get back to my desired Fighting Weight.

I'm doing pretty well this week, journaling my food intake, limiting my calories and spending time each day on my treadmill. I'm within one pound of pre-trip weight...but I'm weak! And it's all the fault of this stupid spam I've received no fewer than 50 times since Monday. The subject line looks like this:

Ben & Jerrys or Haagen-Dazs? Tell us!

The body of the email goes on to promise $100 of free ice cream to anyone willing to take their survey. Ok, I know this is a scam, but I LOVE ice cream and I'm particularly vulnerable this week, so I'm beseeching your prayers for my will power. So far, I continue to delete them and to ignore the two half gallons sitting in my fridge for the boys, but as the weekend nears, it's getting pretty tough!

If you struggle with temptation of any sort in your life, you know what I'm talking about - it's irrational sometimes, and you can fake yourself out pretty easily. You will turn your back on what you know is right and good, simply because you con yourself into thinking that, "It's no big deal. What's the harm in a little ice cream?" For me, it's not the ice cream itself that's the problem...it's the behaviors that accompany going against what I know is the right, good and healthy course for me to be following in my life.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about or why I'm rambling on about this, consider yourself blessed. If this hits home with you on any level, I'll make a deal with you: I'll pray for your strength and commitment, if you'll pray for mine! In praying each morning to turn my day over to the Lord, I try to offer each and every small activity of my day as an act of love to Him. So maybe there's some added grace in hitting that delete key this week...who knows! If, on the other hand, you want me to forward that Ben & Jerrys email to you, email me at lisa@catholicmom.com - I may also be able to put you in touch with your long lost relative in Nigerea.