|
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil.
—Matthew 4.1
The devil’s not some red-suit guy
trying to trick me into doing evil.
I seem to do that quite well on my own.
No, these are the real temptations
of being human,
the things that lead me away from you, God:
the longing for power, security and belonging
elsewhere.
I confess these to you, God,
not to prove how bad I am,
but to see more clearly
how this works in me,
how my appetites can carry me away
from you.
I go into the wilderness
to expose my hungers,
to confront my distrust,
to renew my absolute dependence on you.
I won’t banish my temptations,
but welcome them, name them,
and let them become my path to you.
Beneath all that I want,
beyond all that I think I need,
is you.
I walk this desert journey
that you might transform my desires.
In this desert, God,
help me come to desire
nothing
but you.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
| 
