Temptation
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But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die….” -
Genesis 3:4
On the first Sunday of Lent, we will hear all about temptation. Slick words from the snake, from the devil, in the garden, out in the desert. Temptation is always all around us - temptation to do things that feel good in the moment but are not necessarily good for us in the long run - or good for the rest of the world, either.
Back in Advent, we talked a lot about saying yes, admiring Mary and Joseph for saying yes to God, even in what seemed like an impossible situation. But in the season of Lent we get to practice saying no. We get tip the full, full glass of our lives are to pour some of the water out so we can recover some space in our lives to joyfully say yes anew.
An interesting practice as Lent begins is to keep a time log. When you pay attention, you might be surprised to discover what percentage of your life goes to sleeping, cooking, eating, exercising, watching TV, scrolling on your phone, spending time with loved ones or friends, learning new things, worrying, etc.? As you keep track for a week or two, you might notice that you are giving far less time to the things you most care about and far more time to those you do not. You might find that habits you’d rather not practice have snaked their way in and crowded out those you really want to practice.
Once you actually can see what you’re actually doing, you can then practice saying no. No, I will not spend so much time on things that suck the life out of me. No, I will not let things that are far less important get in the way of spending time on the most valuable things in my life.
Lent is a time to confess to ourselves how we’ve fallen prey to temptation and to then practice saying no, I won’t fall for that shiny apple this time. No, I won’t listen to that serpent. No, I won’t be tempted by slick promises of easy comfort when I know already what I most need to say yes to - what to give my life energy to!
Keeping a Holy Lent is like clearing the clutter from your desk so you have room to practice living more intentionally and with more focus. I wish you all a very Holy Lent as we all make our way to the cross and beyond.
