“Temptation will strike where we are most vulnerable. (p. 138). Indeed. I thought these chapters were quite insightful into the matters of temptation and sin. He talks about the central issue of soul satisfaction and its relationship with temptation. ”Does this road lead toward or away from the me I want to be?” What a great question to guide us in times of weakness. Ortberg says on page 138 that the best way to escape temptation is to talk about it with a friend. This is part of the role the community plays in our struggle with sin. This struggle, in other words, is not something private between me and God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer comments in his book “Life Together” that we are too casual in our confessions of sin. We barge into God’s holy and sin-free presence and rattle off a confession, but we cringe at telling another sinful human being. The more we keep this junk hidden in the back closets of our heart, the more they will continue to derail us and knock us out of the flow of God’s Spirit. But how do we know who to talk to? How do we take the step of faith and invite a friend into our battle? What kind of friend does it need to be? How important is safety? I wonder if sometimes we would rather continue to struggle with temptation on our own than endure the perceived humiliation of telling another person about it. As a result, we stay in prison.
Sin is no longer a concept we can assume people accept. It is also not a popular topic to explore. I wish our ruined self died when Christ came into our hearts. But it does not seem so. We have our signature sins. We have particular temptations that trip us up. We are vulnerable to certain things for a host of reasons. But I love the idea that we don’t have to choose sin and temptation. They do not help us become the me we want to be. So the fight, in community with others, is worth it.
Any thoughts? Any one have insight into how to practice confession with a friend? Feel free to weigh in.
Chapter 12 was short and to the point regarding temptation, no tiptoeing around hard topics. i appreciated his openness regarding his own temptations. I like how he walked through the questions about how things will affect the world around you if you submit to temptation. I am blessed to have 3 female friends that over the years have learned my weaknesses, and have loved me even more. i think it has helped me move past some those temptations. it took so long to build that trust, but long hours working the graveyard builds trust. I do tell all my friends that if it is an absolute secret not to tell me because i will tell my husband. he is like my other half so whatever I hear , he will hear and inevitably forget.
chapter 13, was interesting, I am not sure i really endorse the “signature sin” completely as I could say I have several of those enneagram profiles.(had to look that word up ). curious what other people thought of those.
Just in response to the question about how to approach
confession with a friend, it is a big challenge for women. It seems
more difficult for women to honor confidentiality, which then
creates a reticence to confess. Those of us with loads of
responsibility and packed schedules can lack the margin needed to
seek out and build friendships where there is enough trust to
freely share without fear of betrayal. Sometimes I thnk the
Catholic church has the right idea when it comes to confessional
opportunities, but of course with more than a few Hail Mary’s as
the remedy. This one is a tough nut to crack, but an important one
to address. There are many women of substance out there who would
like to find the same fellowship and freedom to open up that our
male brethren seem to enjoy and grow from. Without that, big parts
of who we are remain in isolation, hidden from the body and not
available to be leveraged by the Spirit.