Today I was challenged to think about temptation. Recalling the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness, wrestling with his own demons, Lent is a time for Christians to sort through their lives and look clearly at the places where temptations lie.
My goal was to draw a picture that shows what tempts me most. I had a couple thoughts in mind about my inner temptations, but I decided to focus first on setting the scene. I used most of my page to draw a golden cliff (with purple shadows along its flank) rising up out of a flat red desert.That dark blue speck on the edge of the cliff is me. As I was working along, I drew the bubble that would eventually show my greatest temptation, but I purposely left it blank till the very end.
When the rest of the drawing was complete, I grabbed a pencil and quickly drew in the first thing that came to mind in the temptation category.
Money.
Interesting.
I think of myself as a person who normally does not worry too much about money. It has a way of coming and going all on its own, and I have learned to trust it to work itself out.
And I think of myself as a person who can live quite happily without any major extravagances. We all need a little money, but I don't think that I need a lot.
So I was surprised that when I thought about temptation, money leaped into my mind.
Maybe it's because I am at a turning point in my life where money is at a minimum and opportunity is at a maximum. Part of me is tempted to worry about money and to limit my dreams accordingly, but another voice urges me to push on and never let money (or the lack thereof) hold me back.
Right now, I'm not sure which is the wiser voice. But I think I better pay close attention to how money, and the temptation of money, is working in my life.
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