And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
(Matthew 6:13, Luke 11:4) Every Sunday, Christians
around the world pray these words. Many say them on a daily basis. Over the
past several weeks, these words have surfaced in a surprising number of my
conversations.
When I go to lunch with Father Ernie, I try to take his dietary limitations into consideration. By his own admission, he loves to eat as do I. The excellent restaurants here are one of the reasons I came to Slidell. Temptation is everywhere.
On a recent Sunday, I noticed a
very frustrated mother trying to settle down her teenage son for the church
service. Afterwards, I asked the young man if we could talk. After a while,
the Holy Spirit moved me to tell him ...lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil
will take on a whole new meaning over the next couple of years. I
do not envy teenagers today.
Economic times are tough right now. Each of us faces temptations on how to make ends meet. A person I respected as a hard worker was recently dismissed for stealing. The job was lost by giving into temptation. Now, things are worse.
Across the lake, even the most honest of people can get into trouble in a hurry. An accidental wrong turn once put me in a very unfriendly neighborhood. A quick U-turn delivered me from evil.
In the late 1970's, Pop was asked
to run a project in Iran. Over several years, Pop could have made more money
than in his entire career. Each time Pop cited a benefit for going over there,
I countered with Why do you want to dodge bullets?
Mother got more upset
each time I used the line until she finally ended the conversation.
My parents did not go to Iran.
A year later, the Islamic Revolution chased the Americans out of the project. All
of the project workers came home except one - the man who replaced Pop. When he
lamented the loss, I challenged Pop with a single question Do you really think
you would have done anything differently?
He never answered. Pop was
delivered from evil because he did not yield to temptation.
I need to get ready for a tempting lunch with Father Ernie. How are you doing with your temptations?
Grace and peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(J. Wesley McComb is a published author and a member of Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 7th St, Slidell, 643-4531.)
© by The Slidell Independent newspaper; originally published on October 15, 2009. Used by permission of publisher and author.