In the Midst of Temptation (Part 2)
Last week I posted part one (link to read) of a series on engaging our heart well in the midst of temptation. When the context of our life tempts us to react impulsively, we would do well to slow the process down by asking ourselves: What am I feeling?
One simple question can create space for our core emotions to surface. This temporary pause may be all we need to detach from temptation. Often, though, our heart requires we go deeper. If an emotional check-in leads to introspective curiosity, or if you simply cannot shake what tempts you, it’s time to grab a paddle and find a canoe.
Canoe Down a River
In Iron John, Robert Bly speaks to men tempted by the fantasy of relationship with what he calls the Woman with Golden Hair. She is any woman who a man sees and dreams up this fantasy: That woman will complete and fulfill me. To the tempted Bly says,
“What does it mean when a man falls in love with a radiant face across the room? It may mean that he has some soul work to do. His soul is the issue. Instead of pursuing the woman and trying to get her alone, away from her husband, he needs to go alone himself, perhaps to a mountain cabin, for three months, write poetry, canoe down a river, and dream. That would save some women a lot of trouble.”
Bly’s wisdom applies to a wider audience, not only to men tempted by the fantasy of a dream woman. Any of us who fantasize and lust after false comfort, power, and control need to pay attention.
Maybe, if you’re like me, you do not have three months to spend at a mountain cabin. Maybe you don’t have time to canoe the river by your home, either. But we can all find our own version of a metaphorical canoe. Regardless, I need time in the canoe might become words we adopt and employ to rescue our heart from danger.
The canoes we choose will look different. One man might go for a run while another pulls out his journal. A woman may go for a drive while another plays music that speaks to her aching heart. I used to exercise when I needed clarity of heart and mind. Now that I have kids and more responsibility, canoeing down a river can simply look like stepping onto the back porch to inhale and exhale, watch the trees wave in the breeze, and hope the neighborhood fox runs by.
The point is this: What activity allows your soul to breathe and invites you to reflect? What invites you back to you, the real you? In the midst of temptation, we forget who we are. Our heart demands a rewarding yet false experience of counterfeit control, power, and comfort, and this feels safer than abstaining. Abstinence leaves us empty, we think. But Jesus reminds us,
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matthew 5:4, MSG)
Wisdom requires we find the way back to our soul and the heart of God. We need rescue from the matrix of life that deadens our senses and lies about what is true and good.
Time in the canoe is not simply about keeping you from the object or behavior you demand; it is also about time on the water. Your heart, both the murky and dark parts as well as the glorious, redeemed, and dignified parts, awaits your discovery. In the midst of temptation, though, we do not have awareness of our darkness or the good heart within us. We need space. Seek the wilderness and the space it provides.
Whatever form your canoe takes, may it lead to a wilderness where you can be alone with yourself and God. Alone on the water, look over the edge of the canoe to see finally the reflection of who needs your attention.
You, like all of us, have some soul work to do.
