I surely was tempted. At one point, while making the second batch of muffins, I almost reached out and took part of one of the first ones that were cooling. "Who would know," I thought. "Even more, who would really care?"
Very few would. And while God would certainly know, I'm not sure that God would care in the being-disappointed-in-me-because-I-ate-a-bite-of-muffin way. I do think, however, that God would grieve in God's own way because if I gave in to temptation, I would have been one step farther away from "moving on to perfection", as we Methodists say.
Humankind was created in God's image - perfect, whole, compassionate, loving, self-giving. Because God loves us, God gave us free will - the ability to move freely in the world God created. Human beings chose instant gratification over trusting faithfulness that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, and we've never been the same again. Sin, being estranged from God, entered our spirits. The history of humanity has been a repeating cycle of drawing close to God - falling away from God - being called to repentance. It was a vicious cycle that seemed to have no end - until God, in infinite love and mercy, sent us Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with Us.
When we commit our lives to Christ, we begin our journey to perfection - to being made perfect in love and in the image of Jesus. Being faced with temptation is a part of that journey. God doesn't give us temptations to test us, but we can grow deeper in love with God and take small steps toward being remade into Christ's image of perfect love when we can turn our backs on temptation, no matter how small or how large.
So if you are feeling tempted this Fast, remember that each temptation is a call to prayer. It's a chance to take a baby step closer to Perfect Love. It's an opportunity to recommit and rededicate your life to Christ. May God bless you with strength, with joy in the journey, and with the resolve to say no to temptation and yes to Jesus.
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