I led a small group during a high school retreat earlier this year consisting mostly of freshmen guys and gals. We had an exceptionally spirited conversation about weaknesses and worries in regards to our faith.
“What is keeping us from growing in our faith?’ I asked the group.
Everyone shared text book responses just barely skimming the surface of the topic. Then out of a nowhere came the most profound statement that stopped the conversation in its tracks. This young man - a shy, sometimes awkward freshman boy - interrupted and shared with what has kept him from growing in all aspects of his life.
"I think the biggest thing keeping me from growing personally and spiritually in my life is temptation," is how he began. I figured he was going to list off all the big ones I've heard time and time again on retreats. The same old anger towards parents, lust, contributing to rumors and gossip, pornography, the list goes on. He continued, "Not just temptation as a whole, but the temptation to wait until tomorrow."
Bam, this from a fourteen year old who hasn't even experienced the roller coaster ride of hormones, testosterone and strife most adults have to endure to achieve such deep discernment. Like most people, I drag my feet and push the important items to tomorrow or the weekend. For example, the application for grad school that I’ve put off since January and the three years of discerning that prolonged it all. The second round edits to my manuscript that I’ve put off for a few months now to send to potential literary agents.
"I think the worst mistake we can make in our lives,” continued the pimply faced preacher, “Is to give into that temptation where we think we can 'do it' tomorrow, whatever it is we put off. For me, it's deepening my relationship with the Lord."
We all have our own personal struggles and weaknesses. Some of us have our own demons that we wrestle with daily. The simple truth is that we are all faced with our own temptations and we fall victim to them more than we’d like to admit.
It was said that St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, the environment and being a complete bad ass, was just like any male who struggles of suggestions of impurity. At times of weakness he would roll around in the snow to fight off falling to his temptations and if wasn't winter he'd just toss himself unto a thorn bush. Although I respect his discipline, I'm not sure I'd ever cause physical harm to myself, or risk pneumonia, to avoid losing the mini battle to temptation, but in order to fight temptation we need more than just good intentions, because even those grow weak.
The steps he took were a tad hardcore, but truly inspiring. In order for us to fight the good fight and win against temperance we must start by taking a page out of his holy play book. Find that motivating factor that keeps us strong at those moments we feel the weakest.
St. Francis was a simple man, with a simple mission, to walk in the footsteps of Christ. Yet he still struggled with his battles with temptation. We all do. We’re only human. What is it that you’re struggling with and tempted by the most? Once you can accept your weakness and can consciously agree that you want to persevere then you need to kick its Assisi and not be tempted to wait until tomorrow.
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