Bouncing

Have you ever bounced your eyes?

Let's say every single day you ate oatmeal and only oatmeal because it's good for you, it's filling and it's quite tasty (it's the flavored kind!). Well one day, right next to your oatmeal you see the biggest, thickest piece, most decadent piece of chocolate cake. You know the chocolate cake is forbidden and so you go on eating your oatmeal, but still... every day you see this exquisite piece of cake. After a while you tell yourself it wouldn't hurt to just take a tiny little bite of the cake, I mean, it's not like eating the whole thing and it really wouldn't spoil your appetite for the oatmeal (which is good and nutritious and tasty). Well one bit leads to another bite and soon you just don't want to even look at the oatmeal. Actually, at this point the oatmeal looks boring and drab and so... predictable.

This analogy is my feeble attempt at explaining some things I've learned through the "Every Man's Battle" books (great books by the way). In the book they talk about the above (in some fancy writer words) to describe how a man can fall into sin when he looks to see past his oatmeal (wife) and towards the chocolate cake (secretary/coworker/neighbor/etc). What the author suggests is that men (and women) need to exercise "bouncing their eyes" - to avoid looking at the temptation, or what could be a temptation, you'll feel satisfied with what you have. The author suggests finding something to bounce your eyes towards such as looking back to the oatmeal or towards Christ, or to the white wall, or to your children, or to your dirty feet - anything in order to keep your eyes pure and focused on what's important.

This week I've put some more thought on this... it's not just about "bouncing" from sexual temptation, it's about "bouncing" from all temptation and one of the best ways to avoid temptations is working on a grounded identity; in other words, figuring out who you are and what you need. Truly understanding yourself and loving yourself just the way God made you. He's God! He didn't mess you up!

Temptations are unresolved weaknesses. Don't let your weaknesses tempt you into making some pretty ridiculous and often destructive choices. There's a reason God gave you oatmeal. :o)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12