17. Spiritual disciplines do not keep me from being tempted.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THINGS OR BEHAVIORS THAT YOU WORK TO AVOID BUT STILL HAVE A STRONG PULL ON YOU?
DO YOU FEEL GUILT OR SHAME WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED?
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IT DISAPPOINTS GOD WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED?
A desert father is reported to have said to his elder, “You see before you a man who is completely at rest and has no more temptations.” Instead of praising him, the elder said: “Go and pray to the Lord to command some struggle to be stirred up in you, for the soul is matured only in battles” (Merton, Thomas. The Wisdom of the Desert). For many, temptation is something that we wrestle with daily: “How do I not judge this person who wrote ‘that’ on their Facebook page?” “I am so angry at so and so who did that to me.” “I’m drawn to envy that person who has something I don’t have.” “Why is it so important to me to be approved by others?”
These and many other thoughts tempt us to act in ways we know would be inappropriate. Sometimes, in this battle of thoughts, we may feel as though we are failing and that a “good Christian” shouldn’t be tempted to sin. This narrative can also surface in our engagement with spiritual disciplines and cause us to think that spiritual disciplines will keep us from being tempted.
It may be true that, over time, temptations may lose some of their power, but to think that our spiritual disciplines will keep us from being tempted is incorrect. It is important that we have realistic expectations for our spiritual disciplines—and to expect to be free from temptation is neither realistic nor a valid indication of success.
In some cases, we may find our engagement with spiritual disciplines even increases our temptations. It may be that the Tempter sees a greater need to attack us or it may simply be that as we become aware of the behaviors we wish to control, that awareness creates its own energy. How many people who choose to go on a diet suddenly find themselves even more tempted by food?
But temptations do not mean that we are sinful or failing; in fact, the presence of temptation can actually be an indication of something good. As the desert father quoted earlier learned, the lack of temptation may not be such a good thing after all. It may indicate that we are simply unaware of ourselves or it may be that we have become complacent. As the elder responded, temptation is necessary for our spiritual maturity.