I Can See the Finish Line

The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now (Zig Ziglar)

Now that the end of month is quickly approaching I look at the above quote and think about my journey into vegetarianism. There were so many times when I wanted to trade my commitment for a chicken wing. Of course, that would have meant failure, if only to myself. I set a goal and I was determined to make it. There was one night when I watched my daughter eat a smothered pork chop (that I had prepared) and she said to me, “I’m going upstairs for a minute. If you want to take a bite … that would be fine and no one would have to know.” She is so funny. I did not take a bite because I would have known.

Here are a few things that I figured out about myself during the last month:

1. I am not patient or creative enough to be a vegetarian.
2. If I lived alone this may have been a more enjoyable experience
3. I really like meat. I can go without red meat, but I love chicken and seafood.
4. I can give up pasta right now and be fine with that
5. I love vegetables but I just view them as side dishes and not main courses

I also look at the above quote and reflect on how it has affected every aspect of my life. I am not going to kick myself for all the times that I settled for what looked good instead of waiting for what was good for me. What’s the point? But in my old age I have learned a valuable lesson. What I really want in life: peace, security, success and true love, is worth waiting for and I will never again trade those things in for what may be desirable right now. The “right now” things are temporary. Once I get what I really want, those things will last an eternity. The Bible says it best:

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, The Message)