"The only antidote for the temptations of life is a constant turning to God, as Jesus did in the wilderness, grounded in a constant recognition that apart from God, even the greatest gifts can become demonic." From Lenten Meditation Guide, Higher Education Ministries
Candice R. led a thought provoking activity at youth group Sunday night, and got us to really think about what we would be replacing our vices with. She talked about a friend at Duke who gave up drinking anything but water. The purpose of this was, every time she took a drink of water, she reflected on water in the Christian faith - from the story of the Great Flood, to the sacrament of baptism.
I think there is something wonderful about this practice - every time you have a craving for a regular part of your life (e.g. coffee, for the coffee addict), you are turning your mind instead to God, your eyes to the heavens. Of course, on day 3, those eyes may be accusatory and your mind may well be dreaming of all the things you could do if only you were caffeinated.
I bring this up because, though I have never regularly given something up for Lent, I disappointed to be unable to think of something that I'm truly addicted to this year. I considered caffeine, but abandoned that in light of the fact that, most days, it's the only thing able to keep me awake long enough to pray.
I've decided that, this year, I'm giving up time. Not having enough of it on any given day drives me crazy, whether it's for homework, reading papers, teaching, grading, responding to e-mails, or even getting time to myself. So I'm going to take 15 minutes of each day for forty days to be in silent prayer and meditation. This is not an "obvious" temptation, like alcohol, drugs or sexuality, but socially-acceptable one. While there is nothing wrong with striving for understanding of the world around us, there is something wrong (and ironic to a scientist) with bypassing the miracles for the mundane, getting so involved in the minutia of our lives that we miss the "big picture".
Like the smoker trying to quit, it is going to take a lot of practice to be still in the middle of a busy life. Isn't that the point of Lent, though? To remind us that, sometimes, life is tough, for good reason. We were so unwilling and unable to give up our sinful ways that the Son of God had to die in order for us to truly live. Isn't it only right to give up a bad habit, and try out a good one, with the new life we have been given?
My question for those of you reading is this: What are the obvious temptations in your life? What are the socially acceptable ones? And what are you doing about them?
The "socially acceptable" question is an important one to think about, because society is a matter of choice. While we cannot necessarily chose the society of our nation, state, or even town, we can chose the society with whom we regularly associate and can even escape beyond that now what with the world being made small through the internet. The ritual of Lent itself is a society temptation, but one with rather more positive implications than your normal sort. Anyway, it's interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteAs for your prompt, I think I have a lot of temptations and deal with them in a variety of ways, but mostly, I think the important thing to know is when to deny it and when to indulge. If a dieter is constantly denied sweets, the craving becomes overwhelming and suddenly the dieter has fallen off the wagon and into a mountain of candy. Moderation rather than absolute denial is the key. Giving yourself a chance to spend a little money when you really shouldn't, or eat a slice of pizza when you've been good about eating healthily, seems to be the best way to maintain and stem off certain temptations.
Of course, that's not the point of Lent - one is intended to focus on the cravings rather than accomplish a dietary or budgeting goal. Still, I think it's worthwhile to use Lent as an introduction to moderation instead of a 40 day break from a normal routine.