"...for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire."
James 1:13-14
I admit, I struggled with this reading today. I have grown to believe that our deepest desires are put into our hearts by God to guide us to how we can serve God. What's the deal? Are our deep desires placed there to lure us to evil? It was the good sisters, actually, who guided me to look inside to the deepest desires of my heart. It was when I was discerning the religious life, back in the earliest of 80's. I trust them to have read that correctly, since following my deepest desires has led me to this awesome gift of life I have experienced! But I wonder what James means when he talks about our desires luring us to evil. I think we can be enticed by wealth, power and greed--that enticement is all around us constantly. It even seems to be rewarded in our society--look who we admire and put up on pedestals! Maybe we must dig deeper for the desires God places in our hearts. We may need to look beyond our immediate desires for what flashes in front of us in advertisements and billboards. We must look deeper than the new toys in the neighbor's driveway or the latest technology. The deep desires God places gently in our hearts look quite different than those passing fancies. God places desires in our hearts for how we can serve others and grow deeper in love with God. Those desires are not on any billboards, at least ones I have seen. (Especially the one that said "For the wages of sin is death!" I noticed up for a while...sheesh!). So, this Shrove Tuesday, let's think about the deepest desires of our hearts. If we know God resides in our hearts, can we ask God to help us pray with our desires? Love, heidi
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