It had been a good, productive day, but it had also been a long day, one that
was precipitated by an almost sleepless night. I was exhausted, a familiar ache
had developed between my shoulder blades, and my lower back was hurting. To say
that I was looking forward to sitting down for awhile was an understatement!
There were still several items on my to-do list, however, and as I began to
dogmatically make my way through them, I noticed that the dishes weren't being
done to my standards. Help me to simply be happy they are being done at all, I
prayed, and I successfully bit back the angry words. Then the stack of dishes
that should have been put in the dishwasher began to crumble and slide--right
towards the project I was struggling to finish. Help me, God! I prayed again,
and the words that were already rushing out of my mouth lost their angry sting.
Without complaint, my husband put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then, when the
dishes were done, he left the kitchen.
As I stretched my aching back and turned to begin another task from my list, I
noticed that he had forgotten to clean off the table. In fact, I noticed several
things he had forgotten to do. The familiar sense of overwhelmingly-frustrated
anger began bubbling up in my gut as my back screamed out in pain, and I no
longer had the power to stop the rush of angry words. Just then my son appeared:
"Let me do that, mom!" And he immediately lit into the various problems with the
uncompleted dish-doing job.
As I later contemplated all of this, I was reminded of a promise:
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is
faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1Cor
10:13, NIV2)
Wow! That's what God had done. Just when my anger was about to show its
ferocious teeth, God made a way of escape: He sent my son!
God is faithful. He keeps all His promises, and when He promises that we will
never be tempted beyond what we can bear, He means it. That's His part of the
deal.
So why is it that we so often fall into temptation?
When my son came down to help me, I had a choice to make. Either forgive the
"dish-doer" for not completing his job, or I continue to be angry at him. Either
way, God had done His part, He had sent me a way of escape. When we look back
over the numerous times we have fallen into temptation, we realize that God has
always provided that way of escape; it has simply been that we've chosen to
ignore it.
We have all experienced times, however, when there is no apparent way of escape.
What then? Is God breaking His promise?
Not at all. It is during those times, friends, that the level of temptation is
simply not more than we can bear. All we need to do is reach out and allow God
to give us the strength to stand firm. In those cases, God's strength is our way
of escape!
So how can we ensure we take God's help? How can we ensure that we see the ways
of escape that He provides?
The answer is simple: "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this
race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was
headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God..." (Heb 12:2, MSG)
Friends, I challenge you this day, in the face of temptation, to take keep your
eyes on Jesus. He will provide you with the strength to get through your
temptation, but when it becomes more than you can bear, He will provide a way of
escape. It is simply our choice whether or not we take it.
Interestingly, the moment I decided to forgive, my back stopped hurting...
Lyn Chaffart , Mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, Scriptural Nuggets , with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
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