Witness Checkup

During a visit with my doctor last fall he looked at my labs and remarked about how high my triglycerides were. They have always been high but I have never really understood why. So, I asked him what caused that and if there was anything I could do to bring them down?

He said, “Yes, you like ice cream too much.” His answer was so specific that it startled me for a moment.

“How did you know I like ice cream?” I said.

“Because with men your age it is either caused by beer or ice cream and knowing you I assumed it was ice cream.”

We both had a good laugh. I was glad that he knew me that well. It made me think not only about the health of my body but also about the health of my testimony. To my doctor too much ice cream is just as bad as too much beer. But, too much ice cream, while it may be unhealthy, will not make me drunk and endanger the lives of others. To my family, friends, church, Jesus, and most others who see me, too much beer would be far worse.

I have never had a problem with beer. I could never get past the smell, let alone the taste. It always reminded me of peeling peaches over a bucket in the summer when I was growing up. The smell of that bucket of peach peelings in the summer heat was all I could think of whenever I smelled beer. No temptation there.

Ice cream, on the other hand, has always been a treat. I have four ice cream makers. I have one that has a bowl that is kept in the freezer and two that use ice and salt to freeze the ice cream. My family enjoys my ice cream so much that they gave me a new one for Christmas that has a compressor and can make ice cream any time. I love my family!

Too much ice cream could also result in the sin of gluttony, which is just as bad in the eyes of God as drunkenness. I need to be a witness in everything I do. It makes no difference if I am at home, at church, in the doctor’s office, in traffic, at a restaurant, or in the check out line at a store. I want people to be able to see that I am different so when I share Jesus they will put His word and my actions together in a positive way.

Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

I am not ready to give up ice cream just yet. However, I will be careful to take care of my body and always make God visible in the relationships around me.
Bro. Robin