I am kind of a lie connoisseur. After spending the better part of my life lying I’ve become apt at recognizing them. One of my favorites that we Christians like to tell ourselves and one I have written about before is something I call "the Hermit Lie." Not familiar with this particular one? Fear not, we're about to go there.
A friend once told me he really struggled spiritually whenever he went down the snack food aisle at the grocery story and saw the Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls. Now clearly I’m substituting “Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls” for something far more insidious and obscene. No one could ever struggle with Swiss Cake Rolls, they’re delightful. (If you are reading this Debbie, I love you! You always ride shotgun on my road trips and I am taking one today to North Carolina and hope you come too with your friend Cougar Power energy drink!)
But when I asked him if he was going to skip the snack food aisle the next time he went grocery shopping he got offended and told me the Hermit Lie. “I can’t eliminate every temptation in my life. That's impossible, I would never leave the house.”
On the surface that’s true. If you tried to eliminate every temptation in the world, you’d have to live under your bed and never leave the house. And you’d become a hermit and would eventually smell weird, like a mixture of feet and Jasmine. But it’s crazy to think that your two options in life are to either keep doing everything or stop doing everything. That if you stop going down the snack food aisle you’ll instantly become some kind of sinless recluse.
The truth is that if there’s something you struggle with, it might be good to stop doing that thing. I'm not saying the things we struggle with are that easy to stop, just that there are lots of obvious ones that we pretend to be powerless against. I’m not saying you can’t ever go to the grocery store to buy food. You need food. But if one particular aisle is causing you to stumble, don’t think your only option is to go on a hunger strike to fight it. You don't have to starve yourself just because you decided not to eat snack cakes or little Debbie treats. Just avoid that aisle. You won’t become a hermit. Promise.
If this is about porn, then it is the best writing on the subject I have ever read.
ReplyDeleteJon, as usual, I'm in complete agreement about the all or nothing approach to temptation. Perhaps, an even stronger strategy is Spiritual V8 Juice. Rather than avoiding the snack food aisle is to take extra time in the vegetable aisle. satan and our self-centered desires attempt to steal the good God wants for us with something that will ultimately poison us. Perhaps, the better alternative to merely avoiding the temptation is to discover what God is wanting for us. For example, God wants us to enjoy love. satan tries to steal away the good with the counterfeit of lust. When struggling with lust, spend more time loving people for who they are. It's much more satisfying and healthy.
ReplyDeletegood one.
ReplyDeleteand one i needed to hear.
If you're reading this, Jon, I love you! You make me laugh, and now it's hard to go to church without giggling every time something reminds me of SCL.
ReplyDeleteThe internet and cable tv are two big ones. I always tell myself that I'll just manage my usage...in reality there are times I just need to cut myself off completely.
ReplyDeleteEven if you lived the life of a monastic hermit you would still be tempted by passions. There are good and holy people who live in monasteries, but to think they live without temptation or sin is foolish. You will encounter temptations no matter what life you live, single, married, hermit, ect., they will find you. Like you said, we must avoid what tempts us, just as you would avoid the plague. If we think of sin as a type spiritual death I think we take it more seriously. Thankfully Christ who has saved us from sin and death gives us the power to over come all our temptations.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us who attend Weight Watchers? The snack aisle IS a big temptation...thanks, Jon - you made me crave Swiss Cake Rolls in a major way - on my weigh-in day, no less!!!!
ReplyDelete(I know this was not the actual point - excellent post as usual!)
Avoiding what tempts you is important and wise. But isn't it only a short term fix? Or maybe I should say a partial fix.
ReplyDeleteBecause if that's all I do, it doesn't address the emotional need or deep wound or empty place that I am still trying to fill with porn or food or another pair of new shoes or too much beer or whatever. I need to find out - with professional help if necessary - what deeper issues are driving that hunger and take them to God and ask him to heal them and fill them in. All the while yes, avoiding situations that I find tempting. But as I grow in grace and experience more of God's healing in those areas, I am meant to get to a place where I shouldn't have to cross the street to avoid walking past the open door of a bar, shouldn't have to avoid walking down the snack aisle, etc.
Not that it will ever be wise to court temptation. But I need more, in the long run, than just avoiding places that will tempt me. That's an important and necessary part of it, but only part. And not really the deepest part IMO.
Great post. Great comment by eastern KY pastor, too.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you've already touched on this, but you could also do a post about how people who are tempted by Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls condemn those of us who DO walk down the snack food aisle and don't experience any struggle with Little Debbie.
In fact, sometimes they want to rope off the snack food aisle entirely, and/or outlaw all Little Debbie products.
I actually do this exactly... Mine is literally soda. I love buying Dr. Skipper (the Randall's/Tom Thumb version of Dr. Pepper), and always have the excuse that I'm just getting something nice for my husband that he likes... but that we can't afford. So why do I need to be in the soda & chips aisle to begin with? I just don't walk near it. If I go down that aisle, I'm guaranteed to see that it's on sale for buy three get three free...
ReplyDeleteI'm 8 1/2 months pregnant and this post totally made me hungry for a Nutty Bar -- I think I'll go eat one right now!
ReplyDeleteI had a talk with a friend one time that struggled with porn. I said "Well, why don't you get rid of the internet." He said "I can't, I use it for work sometimes." I thought "what a cop-out". I'm sure he DID use it for work sometimes, but that was his "Hermit" excuse.
ReplyDeleteKarl, I don't disagree with getting to the "heart of the issue" and dealing with whatever is driving that addiction, but I can say from experience, that cutting yourself off from whatever your addiction is, allows for clarity of thought, so you CAN deal with those issues.
Great post.
Jason
TransparentChristianMagazine.Com
Jason, I think we agree. My point is that you need both. If ALL you do is cut yourself off from the addiction and you equate THAT with conquering the addiction, you won't really experience healing and freedom. You may "sin" less. Which is a good thing. But you'll still be just as prone to fall when the external props are removed.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree with you that in order to even be able to deal with the heart of the issue, "cutting yourself off from whatever your addiction is, allows for clarity of thought, so you CAN deal with those issues." We need both; and even then it can be really hard.
If you are not talking about Swiss Cakes, then is it the more vulgar and definitely more delectable Ding Dongs? Or could it be the Devil Squares? Just say it, man!
ReplyDeleteman jon, i think you are my twin brother. or at least related. our struggles are very similar. thanks for this post. i'm at the beach this week and the swiss cakes have been plentiful...
ReplyDeleteGreat artilce, really liked the metaphor
ReplyDeleteI was at a recent 4th of July party with other Christians.
ReplyDeleteMost of the girls were wearing bikinis. Apparently, that is the way we roll.
I immediately texted my friend, "Christians AND bikinis. We are so progressive :)"
Her: Have fun and enjoy ;)
Me: Nothing to enjoy. They are not my wife.
Her: Staring makes sense in the flesh. But God can protect and make beautiful even when it is cheapened by the world.
Me: True
What makes this wonderful is two things:
1. Most of these girls know my testimony about my struggles with porn and lust and they know I used to work in the porn industry.
2. These same gals trust in God that God fully delivered me and protects me from whatever temptations come my way.
This entire world is a temptation to my flesh but this world has nothing for me. I know God is my Shield, Healer and Deliverer.
Just as I don't worship God gives, I too don't avoid or succumb to what my weaknesses are. God takes care of it all. Whom or what shall I fear.
he shoots... he scores. You nailed this x10. Awesome post. Man I do love Little Debbie... whatever happened to Chocodiles?
ReplyDelete