Hungry, Hungry Hippos #3
Having a partner can help us, but eventually we have to become stronger than our addiction because of our drive to make life right again. So the question becomes where does this strength come from when I’m not sure I have it within me to fight this addiction? Well there are these verses in the Bible from the book of James that speak about addiction and God’s view of our struggle.
James 1:12 – 15 reads: When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever. God promised this to all those who love him. When people are tempted, they should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death. James 1:12-15 (NCV)
As we walk through these verses we are going to learn a few things about God’s help in our struggles. First of all James tells us to celebrate when we resist a temptation. AA gives out coins to mark days and years of sobriety. They understand that you need to celebrate one more day of resisting the temptation to give in to your addiction. You may be thinking, “It is only one day.” It does not matter celebrate each victory that you gain. When you resist and stay strong it is one day that you have won. You can’t have a week with a day, and a month without a week, and a year without a week. You get the picture. We have to celebrate each victory. Because, we are human and we sure as heck will mourn each loss. Life and we have this great way of reminding us of our losses, so we need to celebrate each win. Each day or victory builds for the next one.
In my line of work I hear people ask the question: “Why would God let this happen?” or “Why didn’t God stop me before I got started?” James reminds us that God does not tempt us with evil. Sometimes we get the idea that God is just setting traps for us. That He is trying to get us to slip up. I mean seriously, why does chocolate taste so good? Those things are a blessing to our life, until we let them control our lives.
I truly do believe in moderation, but there are some things we cannot let into our lives at all. I love chocolate cake; I mean seriously eat the entire cake in one setting kind of love. The problem with loving and having that much cake is that it just is not healthy at all. So many health problems can spring up in our lives if we are not careful about how much cake we let into our diet. That is one of the reasons I tell my wife to not make them. I love chocolate sheet or really cake with butter cream frosting is my great nemesis. So that is one of the things that I do not let myself have in abundance. When I am serious about my health we just don’t have it at all. It is tough some days to say no and walk away from some cake and not give in to the temptation. I just know that if I am serious about it then I just do not go near any cake.
These temptations we face can lead us somewhere. James let us know that temptation follows a path that leads to a dark place in our lives. A desire can trap us and then we are done. It leads us to a death. Not always a physical one. Like we do not just die when give in to temptation. But it can lead to the death of a relationship, job or the peaceful life and well being that addiction takes from us. James does not mince words; he lets us know that temptation leads nowhere good. That is why we call it a temptation. If it were good for us, then we would not be warned to avoid it. There comes the time we need to ask ourselves: “What is worth more to us? A momentary pleasure or what we have spent years building?” What are we willing to give up for just one more fix?
James also talks about God rewarding those who resist these temptations. It is a life that is free from guilt, worry and the anxiety of how you are going to make it through another day. God rewards faithfulness and commitment. Life is full of chances to blow it, God loves when we make the choice to honor His trust in us. Nothing is better than being able to sleep at night knowing we made the choice to survive and not give in to what tempts us.
Each day is a step in our journey away from the hippo pit. Grabbing marbles will only lead to a life of…well grabbing marbles. Then the game ends and we have to give all those marbles up. In the end we may have had a few laughs but those hippos never got full. That is the reason we have to face and fight our temptations. At the end of the day those addictions will strip our life of meaning and relationships. The marbles all go back to the middle and we begin to pounce on them again. For our lives to be half way sane it is best to avoid the things that will entrap us and lead us to a place we do not want to go.