Temptation Challenge

Search for any advertizing team’s prime target avatar, and you’ll see my smiling face; I’m an advertisers’ dream. Pitch your wares often enough, and even the things I know aren’t a good idea, may move me to the buy button.

Case in point: I’m very aware that eating pork-anything in fast-food restaurants disturbs my digestive system. Nevertheless, several years ago, the five weeks of television’s repetitious displays concerning the mouth-watering delight of the new pork burrito tempted me. Still, I held my ground, forcing myself to remember past experiences.

Alas, during week six, I caved like one of Pavlov’s drooling dogs. The ad proved true as far as taste, but I spent the entire night helplessly experiencing my body’s rejection of the pork treat.

Since I’d lived through the same dreadful night more than once already, I did know I shouldn’t give in to the commercial’s temptation. The repetition of the inviting ads broke down my resistance and removed all commonsense.

As my mother would say, “At your age, you should’ve known better.” Indeed, at the age of sixty, I should have, but it was on sale, you know?

Earlier this week, it took only two viewings of the new healthy option commercial for a grilled chicken sandwich at the nearby fast-food establishment to hook me. In retrospect, though the sandwich proved more expensive than the usual burger, the healthy choice drastically lacked flavor. The contents of my own refrigerator contained items for a more tasty lunch.

I’m not tempted today by the same things that had a strong pull four decades earlier, but the Tempter is still very busy knocking at my door. For me, the above experiences serve to put in perspective the struggles of our young people today.

The teens are bombarded with ads insisting that they must have this or that to fit in. Not to get ahead of their peers, but just to fit in. If I’m tempted to criticize them I think pork burrito and pray for the kids instead.

I Corinthians 10:13 is one of the first verses my friends and I memorized when all of us discovered new life in Christ. Most of us had just entered the decade of our twenties.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Whether a student in university or just starting the path to employment, we struggled with temptations of all kinds. This verse brought comfort to us, as well as instruction. It also served as a rallying battle cry.

Whenever one of the gang described something with which he’d been struggling, we reminded him, that while everyone had similar temptations, according to I. Corinthians 10:13, God understood and wouldn’t let us be tempted beyond our power to resist. Not only that, but the Lord promised to show us the way to escape the temptation. God promised He’d help us bear it.

Sometimes, when we’d pass one another on the sidewalks or in the hallway, we’d smile, saying only, “I. Corinthians 10:13,” and the approaching friend usually returned our smiles. All of us knew what that meant. It meant we all understood and trusted God would come through for us.

Temptation has no age-limit. We’ll never grow out of it, as much as we may wish we could. The enemy of our souls won’t stop trying to trip us up until the day Jesus welcomes us into our Heavenly home.

Take courage, and give yourself a break. Even if you’re as old as dirt, God understands your struggles. The Apostle Paul penned this verse more than two thousand years ago, but it’s as true today as it was way back then.

If you know a young person battling any temptation—and which one isn’t?—then pray for him or her. Criticism can be destructive but a kind word can make a world of difference.

And to the teen reading this post, I give you a high-five and say, “I Corinthians 10:13!”

God cares and will help us all. Whatever our age, we need only to ask.

Did you suspect you’d grow out of succumbing to silly temptations when the hair follicles lost their color? I so hope you have a story to share that tells me I’m not the only senior still struggling now and then.

(Note: In order to devote more time to completing the edit of Grace for the Night Hours, I’ll be dropping down to only one post/week for each of my two blogs. Look for the Nuggets posts on Thursday’s.)