Temptation is knowing what is right while still feeling the desire to satisfy our inevitable curiosity. 

The service was nearly over when the notification sounded on my phone. My first thought is that someone has had an emergency. I always turn my phone to “Do not disturb” before the music begins, and the only contacts allowed to bypass it are my kids. When I checked, it was my fourteen-year-old granddaughter, and she is not one of those who can bypass the setting, so how did she get through? (I never figured that one out.) I set the phone aside for the few minutes remaining of the church service, and then I read her message. She was coming to spend a few days with us and wanted to be sure there were plenty of fresh fruit options in our fridge and that her specific choices were among them. As if I, the trusted Grandma, would be unaware of her dietary wishes. I quickly replied, and we went over her list, most of which I had already bought, and she was content.

Many of us are so attached to our phones that we often forget our manners and can’t resist looking at them when a notification sounds, even when we know we shouldn’t. I must admit I can be caught sneaking a peek when I receive a message while in conversation with another person. I know it’s rude and I should ignore it, but it only takes a second to read the message, and then I can choose to ignore or respond. My conscience always reminds me that I need to focus on the person I am facing and not the one who is interrupting our conversation. Cell phones have made it too easy and tempting to make instant contact with others at inappropriate times.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)

Once our granddaughter arrived, many other temptations arose. She loves flea marketing. She’s almost as obsessed with it as her grandpa. Let’s face it, she likes most any kind of shopping. She was ready to head out the door as soon as her mom left, so we grabbed a bite of lunch and began our big adventure. It doesn’t take long for her to find something she thinks she wants. She has her shopping budget and must make choices that she can live with. After careful consideration, she went home that first day with only one small item and most of her money still in her purse.

The second, and final, day of shopping was a completely different story. She still shopped carefully and conserved some of her budget for the final stop. But when all was said and done, she had spent all she had, and Grandpa had to help her out with taxes. Temptations aplenty followed her throughout the various flea markets, but she made tough choices and ended the adventure with some pretty cool items. And while she was shopping, she met some very interesting people who taught all of us a bit of history and some important lessons.

We’re faced with countless temptations every day that we live—some are large and many are quite small. The thing is, there’s usually a right and a wrong response to the temptations we encounter. But sometimes it’s easy to rationalize the choice we know to be wrong because there’s no one around to see us. Therefore, who can it hurt? Or the infraction is so small that probably no one will notice anyway. Or maybe we even believe that no one cares enough to try to stop us.

Let me tell you that would be an incorrect assumption. Our God is always watching, and He always cares about His kids. He wants us to make the right decisions. He loves us enough that he allows us to make our own choices. And he provided a way for our wrong choices to be absolved.

Whatever temptations we have given in to, and we all do, there is a way to break all the chains that bind us in situations we’d rather not be. The choice is ours. Choose well!

Let me finish with a riddle our granddaughter shared with us:

Why does Jesus not wear jewelry? Because He breaks all the chains.