The Devil and the Triple Dog Dare

No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15

Temptation is a very human experience. We have all been tempted. We have all yielded to temptation. Finally, we have all reaped the fruits of yielding to that temptation. Where does this temptation come from?

How many times have you heard the phrase “the devil made me do it”? Along with that is when someone blames another person for his or her own misdeeds. Unfortunately, it’s not just the kids who say, “he started it”. Let’s be honest here, folks. 

Do you remember the scene in A Christmas Story where Flick and Schwartz are arguing over whether a person’s tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole? The argument escalates to the point of the dreaded “triple dog dare”, when Flick finally winds up sticking his tongue to the frozen flagpole and suffering the consequences. But really, what happened there?

James tells us that temptation comes from our own desires. In many ways, desire comes from wanting to fill some kind of hole in our lives and temptation is when we are enticed to fill that hole with something that ultimately will not fill it. Flick really just wants to enhance his relationship with the other kids. Unfortunately, the only way that he sees to do this is to accept the dare. If only he’d seen another way, poor guy!

We all are tempted. Sometimes the temptations are huge. Sometimes they are small. I have a recurring temptation to buy things that I enjoy just to make me feel better when I am having a bad day. It is okay to buy things that you enjoy, but not healthy to do it to try to fill a hole that they will not fill. Rather than doing that, I should turn inward and ask myself what is really bothering me. What hole I am trying to fill? I should ask God to help me to overcome that, to fill the hole with something worthwhile. By doing so, I would enhance my relationship with God and gain greater knowledge of myself.

Many temptations are relationship based. We are lonely and want to feel connection with other people. Again, this can lead down some destructive paths if we try to just fill that hole on a superficial level. It may feel good in the short term, but ultimately, the hole will still be there and the hurt may be even worse.

Several years ago, I experienced the end of a relationship, which we all do. I did not know what to do with myself and was very lonely. I had friends who helped me through it, and I thank God for that. At the same time, this loneliness made me turn inward. I’d let my spiritual life go for so long that spiritually I was almost dead. I reconnected with God and my life changed. I put my emphasis in the relationship with the Divine that mattered most. I grew in all ways as a person because of that. Not long afterward, the woman who would become my wife came into my life quite unexpectedly. By putting my emphasis on what really mattered, the hole in my life was filled in a meaningful way, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness after his baptism by John the Baptist (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). It is easy to just read the scripture as the devil tempts Jesus and Jesus says something profound. Let’s go deeper, shall we?

John the Baptist had just baptized Jesus. Jesus ministry and mission were about to begin. Imagine the weight of that mission. Imagine the desire to just lead a normal life, to be free of the responsibility of the ministry and, ultimately, the cross. Yet, Jesus went for the most meaningful way to fill that part of his life. He sacrificed his life, not only on the cross, but also in many ways during the whole of his ministry. The desire to have an easier life had to be there, else, according to James’ definition of temptation; he would not have been tempted.

Remember that temptation is a part of life. We are going to have temptation and that is perfectly all right. It is in how we respond to that temptation that defines our character and our lives. I would suggest that by improving our relationship with God, we fill the most important hole first. As a consequence we get to know ourselves better and have better relationships with others. Let us satisfy our desires with the things that really matter. Grace, peace, and love to you all.

A New Beginning

I have been feeling a call for quite some time to help others, to minister to people in some way. Day to day life and my own fears have kept me from moving forward on this. After about three dreams in the last few months that have been pushing me in this direction, I have yielded. It is time to answer God's call.

It is for this reason that I am renewing this blog. I have been mulling about how best to answer the call for a while now, and I was led back to this blog. It is all new, with a new purpose. It is my hope and prayer that others will be aided in life's journey through this blog, and that I can keep as little of Kirk out of this and can become, as Joseph Campbell put it, "transparent to the transcendant". This isn't about me. This calling is to serve a higher purpose.