Temper Tantrums

I’m seated by the fireplace at the local coffee shop, waiting for a friend who doesn’t appear to remember our “date” for coffee.  Fortunately, the caffeine in my dark roast and the Goodies powder in my stomach are both working hard on my self-inflicted headache.

I’ve been wondering why a seemingly happy man feels the need to induldge his flesh as he does so often.  I had the image that my flesh is like that child in the grocery store, throwing a temper tantrum and screaming at the top of his lungs until Mommy caves in and gives him what he wants…just to shut him up.  Mommy does so not because its in his best interest but because its the path of least resistance.  It’s easier in the short term to avoid a fight – not really thinking in each of those moments about the long term implications of giving in!

Let’s face it – life is hard…full of striving to keep our heads about the rising floodwaters.  Full of temptations and opportunities to take that path of least resistance. 

Our society provides countless ways to cope – many of which have perfectly socially acceptable  ramifications.  They carry a thin veneer of acceptability but are no less an attempt to quiet our flesh instead of doing the hard work to tame it.

Reality TV, romance novels, overabsorbtion in sports, workaholism all provide an outlet for our stress and help us unwind, but what about the less socially acceptable forms of coping like binge eating, drug & alcohol consumption or pornography.  From every angle and no matter how you rationalize it, they are all an attempt to quiet the screaming child within.

We all cope…every last one of us.  When life presses in, how do you create “space” for yourself?

Our coping mechanisms are deeply rooted in our independence…our perceived capacity to handle things ourselves instead of turning to God in complete dependence…allowing Him to lead us down the path toward peace.

In some ways, we seek relief in these worldy solutions because they tend to be quick and fast-acting (like the Goodies powder currently at work in my bloodstream).  Cultivating a life where we seek the Lord for answers to life’s tribulations takes time, patience and a keen sense of listening and discernment.  It is rarely fast-acting.

A life of independence is a life of sin…living apart from the life that Jesus bought and paid for on our behalf.  The kind of life that He modeled for us during his 33 years on this Earth.

My truest, deepest heart yearns for that life…deep down in my DNA, it calls to me and when I connect with it, even for the fewest of moments, I recognize the power of its truth.  My hope is in submission to the One who lives within me, who loves me beyond measure, and asks for my permission to live His life in and through me.