Practicing Sobriety

Each morning, before I get out of bed, I read a short devotional and pray.  It is a good way for me to start my day and get my mind moving in the right direciton. This morning's reading really hit home for me and I thought I would share the thought with you.
 
This morning, the author wrote about "doing it because I don't want to do it."  He started talking about exercising and how when you're working out or training for a marathon or whatever exercise you do, it's frequently not fun.  It can be painful and time consuming and irritating.  But we do it because we want the benefit.
 
He goes on to say that we need to exercise our mental muscles in the same way. We need to practice those things that we don't like to do.
 
Yesterday was a challenging day for me.  My mind was wondering a lot.  I had to "bounce" my thoughts frequently. It was frustrating and discouraging.
 
But this morning, after reading that devotional, I can look back and say that it was exercise.  Yes, I had to "bounce" my thoughts a lot, and yes, it was challenging at times, but at least I "bounced" them.  I kept lust out of my mind and out of my heart. I didn't dwell on those thoughts and images or memories that came to mind.
 
It was exercise. It was practice.
 
And so, while it was a rough day, I am thankful for that difficulty.  I am thankful that my HP got me through the day safely. I am thankful that He gave me that day to strengthen me and build me up.