When you drive, snow will raise your caution quotient; ice might make you abandon the trip.
So why do so many of us not run the other way when faced with the slippery slopes of temptation? I think many times we think we can navigate safely and avoid the fall. How foolish we are.
What kind of slippery slope am I talking about? The same kind that ultimately sinks politicians, catches married men or women in adultery, and lands your neighbor in jail for drunk driving. It begins with simple things and small temptations.
I think most of us know the kinds of things that tempt us: food, alcohol, a few extra bucks, seductively dressed people of the opposite sex, wanting that flat screen TV like your friend has, a few extra minutes of sleep, etc. We also know what happens when we give in to those temptations: extra pounds, a hang over, working too many hours at the expense of our families, shallow relationships, unnecessary debt, being late for work, etc.
Our lives are bombarded by temptations. While it might seem like falling victim to those little temptations is not such a big deal, it is the culmination of many little slip ups that can send us crashing down the mountain on a sheet of ice.
“Well, it’s just a little ice cream.” 10 years, 50 lbs. and a health crisis later your little bit of ice cream every day after dinner was the start of your slippery slope.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to look.” Too many surreptitious glances, one suggestive conversation, a harried spouse at home who might not have been taking care of his or herself or giving you the attention you desire, and a no-one-will-know-me-here-while-I’m-out-of-town liaison can end you up in divorce court.
We all fall victim to the things that tempt us at some point. Many times we end up sliding along the ice toward disaster. What can we do about it?
God gives us a lot of tools to help us deal with the temptations of our lives.
God gives us the Bible. The Bible is a guidebook for steering clear of icy patches and an instruction manual for recovering from a fall.
God gives us Jesus and Holy Communion. Jesus is the grappling hook lifeline that can stop our slippery descent. When we know we’ve stepped onto the ice and start to slide, it is Jesus who throws us the lifeline and can pull us back to safety. We just need to look around for the rope.
God gives us friends. Not those so-called friends who will laugh at us if we fall, but those in our faith community who will point out the icy patches and support us as we recover if we should fall.
God gives us prayer. Through prayer we separate ourselves from the world for a moment so that we can focus on our relationship with God. Being in relationship with God gives us roots to withstand the tempests of temptation that try to rip us away from that relationship.
Paul writes about temptation in 1Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you will be able to endure it.”
God is faithful. He will not leave us at the bottom of that slippery slope. We are children of God. But wouldn’t it be better not to stray so close to that slippery edge? Use the tools we’ve been given.
Lord, help us to avoid the little temptations as well as the big ones. Guide us away from the things that will propel us down a slippery slope and further away from our relationship with you. Amen.
What do you do to avoid the temptations of your life?
http://www.elcaandy.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment