THE GIFT OF TEMPTATION
When we think of temptation, we usually interpret it to being lured into doing something that is outside the bounds of accepted behavior or that is bad for us. Indeed, in the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. We also read of Jesus being tempted by the devil while in the wilderness. So, how can temptation be a gift?
If we think of our everyday lives, we’re pretty much tied up in the process of survival. Making enough money to live, raising children, balancing checkbooks, paying mortgages, and all the other burdens of modern society. That’s sort of like being in a dark forest with a path that seems interminable. Imagine that you see a light in the distance away from the path. The temptation is to head towards the light where you find yourself in a sunny meadow with wildflowers, birds, and grazing animals.
That glimmer of light in the forest is like the little nudge or back-of-the-mind thought that pops up suggesting we do something outside our normal routine – calling a friend who is house-bound, volunteering at a charity, or doing anything that does good for others and ourselves. Sometimes we call them “God things”, especially when we think about a friend we haven’t seen for a while and are tempted to call but don’t because we are busy and then learn of their death just days after we had been thinking of them. The moral of the story is to be aware of those nudges or “good” temptations and act on them.
Prayer. Lord, help us to recognize your call to us to venture outside the box of our daily existence to help those in need and to restore your creation. Amen
Bill Hanna