I just learned something about myself this morning – if I didn’t know it or want to admit it to myself before. I am truly addicted. Being completely out of my drug of choice, I just walked 3.3 miles in 7 degree windchill to replenish my supply of – diet Pepsi. Yes, embarrassing as it is to admit, I must be – I am – addicted to diet Pepsi.
And, all I could think of during my frigid walk was what Admiral Perry must have felt like conducting experiments at the South Pole. We had just seen his fur mittens and seal fur coat as well as a reconstruction of his original cabin at the Naval Museum. And, here I was complaining that it was cold this morning as I went out to feed my addiction.
But, perhaps our addictions can drive us to ulterior goods. For me, I got a walk today that I might not have taken had I not been completely out of Pepsi. For Perry, the South Pole may never have been explored or experiments conducted if not for his addiction to adventure, daring, and the search for knowledge.
I guess all of this to say that even addictions can bring grace. But we do have to be honest with ourselves about what our addictions are and then be willing to see the good they can bring out in us.