“Don’t drive through the neighborhoods where the drug dealers live.” 

It was wisdom my counselor offered to me last week. 

No, I don’t do drugs. 

But, yes, I struggle with unhealthy habits. 

And this truth is so simple, we should all sync our hearts with it: 

Don’t do the things that will lead to pure heartache. 

We know those “neighborhoods” because we have traveled down them too many times to count. 

They promise us peace. 
They promise us pleasure. 

They promise us emotional outcomes that our rational brains know can never be realized. 

And, yet, we get in the car and still make the drive. 

Lately, my trips have been far less frequent because I am choosing to remember: 

Lauren, you will never win there. 

There will be no victory. 
There will only be suffering. 

So, I get out of the car and walk away. 

And, the next time, self-control is a little easier. 

It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do:

Love yourself enough to tell yourself ‘no’.

Some days, we’ll get it right.
Some days, we’ll return to the pain. 

But, every day, we can learn more about the neighborhoods that bring life. 

And, with God’s grace, one day we’ll know it’s the last time. 

We’re never, ever going that way again. 

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