My children have been a safeguard. I have to care for them and with that comes expectations and responsibilities. At times, it is difficult when they go with their father. Coming home to an empty house magnifies the pain, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Initially, I was overwhelmed by these thoughts. I wanted to do anything to stop the pain, even if it was temporary.
Temptation- the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Matthew 26:41). The strongest temptations come when we desire something and are vulnerable. We desire to be cared for and admired. This is normal, especially when our hearts have been torn into a million pieces. We need companionship and long to be loved.
It's easy to daydream about being wanted and cared for. This is a natural desire from God. Many of our desires are normal and wholesome. They become sinful when our thoughts become obsessions and we take matters into our hands. God wants to satisfy those desires in the right way and at the right time. When we give into temptation, we trade God’s best for a counterfeit. Instead, of walking the road to wholeness, we deceive ourselves by believing a relationship will mend our hearts.
The only one who can truly heal a broken heart from the inside out is the Lord. In order for Him to do this, we have to trust Him enough to give Him our pain. We cannot pretend we are not hurting and put on a smile for the world to see. We cannot crawl into our shell and block the world out. Temptation is real and in the ruins of a broken heart, anything that provides relief, even temporary relief is enticing.
Jesus is the Bread of Life, without Him human souls die of hunger. We all have a longing in our hearts only God can fill. Some of us have searched and tried to fill it with other things such as drugs, alcohol, food, sex, academic or professional success, etc... The emptiness that remains can only be filled by our Savior. Jesus loves us and is waiting with arms wide open. He alone can give us the peace we are so desperately seeking. None of us are perfect and we have all made mistakes. Thankfully, He loves us just as we are. All we have to do is give Him our heart and allow His love to give rest to our weary soul.
"Then Jesus declared, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty...whoever comes to Me I will never drive away...This is the will of the one who sent me, I shall loose none of all that he has given me, but will raise them up at the last day" (John 6:35-39 NIV).
When we endure temptations, we rise above them. The pleasure of sin is temporary, but the greatest reward is the Crown of Life. Each and every time we choose not to succumb to temptation, we are saying “Lord, I love you more than myself and I want to live my life to please you.” When we attain the Crown of Life we will hear the beautiful words every follower of Christ wants to hear when they transition out of this life, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
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