“And God is faithful. He will keep the
temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you
are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”
Reflecting on what 'temptation' means to me I look back to when I was younger. When I was young, temptation to me encompassed a whole
lot of behaviors that were against the will of my parents. I often questioned,
(verbally and silently), “Why can’t I go there with my friends? What’s so wrong
with what they are doing?” I longed to be popular in High School and it seemed
like almost everything the popular kids did I wasn't allowed to do.
Part way into the dance I looked across the darkened dance
floor of the gymnasium and saw the tall image of my dad enter. He was dressed
in a suit and raincoat having just come from work, “Oh, oh,” I told myself, “I
better hide.” Well, I wasn't very good at hiding and my dad waited outside the girl’s bathroom until I was ready to give up. Finally out I came and together
we walked to the car and the long ride home. I was furious! “How dare my father
embarrass me like that? There wasn't anything wrong with dancing, at all.”
Unfortunately for me the next few years, (ok, more than a
few years) were a succession of me trying and doing things that my parents told
me were bad for me. I embraced the hippy lifestyle, ran away to the outskirts
of San Francisco and pretty much threw away any good sense I ever had. The pain
I caused myself and my parents was astronomical and the refuse of the mistakes
I made have had life-long consequences.
So, what did I learn from all of this? Well, I learned that doing whatever you want
in life comes with a price. I learned that right and wrong are concepts that
have a tangible reality that exists way beyond situational ethics that explain
away any sense of moral obligation to adhere to a code of behavior.
I am learning now more slowly, that healing can come
through seeking a closer relationship with God. That the mercy and kindness He
shows those who turn to Him in honesty is invaluable to life and
self-acceptance of mistakes made that can forever not be undone.
Do these kinds of temptations come under the auspices of, I
Corinthians 10:13? Will God show me a way out, or escape clause to avoid all of these feelings and actions so
I don’t have to give in to them? And just how will I find that way of escape?
Hmmm…. In practice, I've found this takes some doing.
These are some of the things I know I can continue to do to keep building a hedge of protection around my inner life.
- Keep reading my Bible daily
- Go to church, (this isn't always that easy to do, I’m just saying.)
- Read daily devotionals to help keep me centered
- Try to avoid listening to gossip. (This requires work in my life, I’m trying to stop, but it draws me in.)
- Claim promises from the Bible regarding the faithfulness of God
- Pray daily for my family, and the individuals I know
- Pray for the people with whom I am struggling
- Try to get exercise. (Another area I am struggling with. I was doing so well and then becoming an empty-nester after 41 years of raising kids sort of threw me in a loop.)
- Read inspirational sayings. (I have some Face Book friends who post wonderful messages of hope and encouragement. Reading these is a comfort.)
- Work on building relationships with the positive people in my life I do have
- Work on forgiving others – (this requires on my part, praying because often I just don’t feel “forgiving”. I feel anger, resentment, bitterness and irritation. I have to ask God to help me forgive. I have to often pray about the situation and person again and again before I get a sense of being able to accept whatever it is they’ve done, and see them through the eyes of God. This takes work and a willingness to ‘let go’.)
- Remember how God has helped me in the past through difficult times when I get fearful about the future.
- Be more careful about the decisions I make now. Try to not act on impulse.
- Get advice from people I respect. (This is crucial because I’ve discovered that the part of me that gets angry when people are being disrespectful is likely to react. Reacting is never a good first choice unless it’s a medical emergency. You need to take time and weigh your response. Getting advice from people I respect helps me slow this process down.
- Continue to ask God to show me where I need to grow.
- Apologize if I've done something wrong. (My awareness of being wrong doesn't always appear automatically to me. Sometimes it takes time for me to see this.)
- Learn to avoid people who delight in creating conflict as much as possible. (The fact of the matter is for some people creating drama is part of what they do on a regular basis. They enjoy it. It’s kind of a hobby for them. At some point when I identify who those people are and I try to minimize my contact with them so they don’t draw me into their web.)
- Try to avoid ‘self-pity.’ (I work on this by counting my blessings, which are many. I try to be thankful for everything I do have, not mourn what I do not have.)
- Try to be helpful to others when I can.
- Try to be a good listener
- When with someone with whom there are some ‘dark parts of history’ I attempt not to bring up the past. (This is a work in progress).
- I don’t watch a movies or television that promotes violence or evil (the whole old ‘garbage in/garbage out’ self-care).
- Remember that, ‘there but for the Grace of God go I’.
- Accept that not everyone loves God
- Realize that for many people they were raised in a family where they were taught to lie and manipulate; only God can change a lifetime of deceit. (Forgive them and realize, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
- Believe that His compassions fail not. His mercies are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23
- I can also sing, praise God, play music, listen to uplifting music
- Working on hobbies or a project helps
- Calling, texting, emailing or Face Booking a friend helps
- Making plans for the future encourages me
- Writing out my thoughts is a comfort
- Going for a drive to a nature site
- Visiting a museum
- Going to a fun movie
- Taking a walk
- Riding my bike
- Walking along the river, lake or ocean.
- Baking
- Shopping
- Drinking coffee in the morning
When all of the above fails, and I am
feeling sad and blue about my life I pray, and I pray, and I pray. I ask others
to pray. And I wait and God is faithful and after a while I feel encouraged and
gain the strength to keep going. The courage I lacked to face the future
returns and I gain acceptance of the parts of my life that tend to be a
discouragement. But the prayer is the essential part of my ‘escape clause’. I
like the verse, “Pray without ceasing.”
Prayer is my ‘escape clause, it is my ‘life-preserver.’
Whatever you are facing in this season of
your life I strongly encourage you to seek God, pray, read the Bible and look
for people who will help you weather the storm.
“Weeping
may endure for the night, but joy will come in the morning.”
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