Here we are again. Another Lent. Another wilderness wandering. Another start to reflecting on the world via my very sporadic writings. It seems Lent has been the time I feel most compelled to write. Perhaps because of the introspective nature of the season. Maybe it’s just the experience of taking the United Methodist Photo-A-Day challenge and turning it into a post. All I know is here we are again and here I go again.
Day 2: Tempted
“Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man dies, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both.”
If you haven’t given Josh Garrels a listen, I encourage you to do so. Farther Along, includes the lyric I have included above. It is one of those songs (the whole album really), I find myself returning to when I am looking for language or an expression for my spiritual struggles.
There are certainly many ways one could interpret the lyric, but I am drawn to consider the question that springs up from one who has been “tempted and tried.” What point is there in resisting or overcoming temptation if the good person still dies and the bad person seemingly gets rewarded? “Because Jesus loves everyone” does not seem like a satisfactory response. Where is the justice in that? Mercy perhaps, but if being “good” still results in death, what incentive does anyone have to be/do good?
It strikes me the temptation and trial Garrels sings about is not explicitly named. Could the temptation be to turn a relationship with Jesus into a mere transaction? I do a little good and I get good things, right? Maybe the temptation is to compare myself to others. I am good. They are bad. The song continues…
“We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope.”
Instead of seeing temptation as a craving to eat more ice cream than is probably healthy (temptation can certainly be that), maybe Lent is an invitation to understand the temptation to turn away from the God I do not understand and/or from the people I easily judge. Maybe my temptation is an expectation, spoken or otherwise, that I deserve to thrive. There is a self-righteousness being exposed here. There is certainly part of me that believes I am basically good and so I should receive good things. Could my temptation be the same ones faced by Jesus? You want comfort? You want power? You want safety and security?
Tempted and tried, indeed!
The truth is I am tempted to want all those things. Jesus was, as well. Maybe we all are. What Jesus did and what I/we can do is to connect/remain connected to the God who knows what we need and promises to provide. In Luke 4, Jesus answers every temptation by highlighting the nature and character of God. Tempted to turn away from God, Jesus instead leans into the love of God.
Lent is a time to fast and perhaps forgo some of the pleasures we overindulge in. Maybe it is ice cream. I am coming to suspect it has more to do with my heart and whether it will be bent toward or away from God. Will I trust the God who I do not and cannot fully comprehend?
Garrels ends by celebrating…
“Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why.”
Here’s to taking the steps that move us closer to understanding, deeper into God’s love. And when we are tempted, may we be encouraged to keep going just a little father along.
Life is better together,
Shawn
p.s. I do not usually eat ice cream straight out of the half gallon carton. There was only a little bit left and I didn’t want to dirty a bowl. You’d do the same, right?
Big Rubber Band Ball 