When you have a choice…

My eyelids, like a weighted blanket, press down across my eyes. It is 3 p.m., and every part of my body screams, “I need a nap!” Shuffling to the kitchen, I make a second cup of coffee. Surely, this convenient adenosine blocker will trick my brain into feeling awake and help me accomplish my remaining afternoon tasks.

No such luck.

Succumbing to the fatigue, I take my last sip of coffee and close my eyes. My body can no longer be fooled. Embracing God’s gift of sleep, my body receives real, lasting restoration.

Coffee is only one of many quick fixes I use (and maybe you do too) to try and satisfy a craving. 

But what would happen if I took a more intentional approach?

Quick Fix: My small children are clingy or extra emotional. With little left to give, I load them all up in the van and evacuate to a store where I can mindlessly stroll the aisles while they are safely contained in the shopping cart.

Intentional: I put my plans for the day aside and spend extra time snuggling with my kids to help them feel safe and loved. I ask them about their feelings and try to understand their heart so that I can feed them with God’s truth.

Quick Fix: Feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, I decide to shop online or eat that saved piece of chocolate cake in hopes of a temporary but quick dopamine hit to change my mood.

Intentional: I step away from my tasks to go for a walk, write in my journal, or spend time in prayer. When I name my feelings and remember God’s promises, I experience His presence, comfort, and equipping.

Quick Fix: I feel alone or isolated, so I scroll through my Instagram or Facebook feed for a false sense of connection.

Intentional: I pick up the phone and call a friend or family member. Or better yet, I use my feelings of loneliness to push me into a deeper time in God’s Word. He assures me, “Fear not, for I am with you.”

Quick Fix: I crave an escape from a stressful day at work, so I end the day binging my favorite show on Netflix.

Intentional: I pull out my journal or talk to a trusted friend about what made the day difficult, how I responded, and ways I need to adjust for tomorrow. Then I pray asking God to give me rest tonight and equip me for the challenges.

Now it’s your turn:

How can you be intentional and address the heart of the problem instead?

Do any of these quick fixes sound familiar to you?

What cravings do you try to satisfy with quick fixes?

“Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with the half-truth, when the whole can be won.”

(From the West Point Cadet Prayer, www.west-point.org)