The Burden Of What “Might Kill You”

It appears I’m doomed.

In the last two days alone I’ve read headlines such as:

“Your K-cups might be killing you.”

“Shampoo may be hazardous to your health.”

“Lipsticks and makeup may contain aluminum, a toxin in humans.”

That’s not good news for a coffee-loving, clean-hair-liking, makeup-and-lipstick-sporting kind of girl.

Not good news at all.

I mean, really. I guess I need to throw out my Keurig coffee maker (they use K-cups), dump my favorite shampoo, and pitch my pink lipsticks and my go-to makeup. You can believe life in this corner of the world might become pretty ugly (in more ways than one), pretty quick.

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m all for living a healthy life, and making adjustments to benefit me and my family. And I’m not putting down or making fun of anyone who has thrown out their Keurig. That’s not me, and that’s not my heart. But there comes a time and place when and where I need to personally “draw a line in the sand,” so to speak, and stop the madness.

Today is that day, and our home is that place.

I can get carried away sometimes. I can begin to internalize the many articles I read and apply every single “don’t eat this… it’ll kill you” warning to my life. I can get so consumed with “is this good for me?” and “is this harmful?” kind of questions, that I begin to let those control what I do, and lose my focus of living beyond myself.

For example, I wanted to bless my family last night, so I baked a pan of chocolate chip bars. Let me tell you, they were a hit, as they always are. But they contain sugar. And sugar is harmful to your body. And it might kill you.

I made one of my son’s favorite meals he had been asking for over the weekend. You should have seen the smile on his face as he inhaled the cheesy spaghetti. But it contains processed cheese. And anything processed is bad for you. And it might kill you.

If I let the “it might kill you” statements rule me, I am no good. I might as well put myself in a hazmat suit and live in it. But wait, there’s probably chemicals in the suit’s materials that “might kill me.”

When I concentrate too much on living like that, this life becomes way too much about me. And when I focus on what “might kill me,” I’m prevented from living in the here and now.

My focus is to glorify God, and to love Him and love others as I do so. Oh, I fail often. More often than I care to share. But I know that’s my purpose here. I don’t need to be obsessed with anything else.

My mom used to say, “Moderation is the key.” I believed her then, and still believe those wise words today. Too much of anything (except God) isn’t good.

So, you’ll find me indulging in dessert every now and then. You’ll see my lips donning a shade of pink, and my go-to makeup on my face. And you’ll probably see me mess up as I attempt to love God and love others.

But you won’t see me carrying the burdens any longer of the things “that might kill you.” I’m letting God handle those.

Live freely today, my friend.

Much love,

Julie