Temptation?....What was I thinking when I signed up for this?

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights.--Matthew 4:1-2


The Spirit is leading us into a wilderness of the imagination, a period of testing: Lent. For several weeks, we will focus our minds more intently than usual on God, wiping cobwebs from the corners of the soul, noticing what has crept in that is not of God, remembering how God is yearning for us to grow spiritually.

Excerpted from: The Sanctuary of Lent 2007 by James C. Howell

Have I neglected all things spiritual to the point of disregard for the temptation part of this Lenten equation? Did I really think that Lent is as superficial as not partaking in sweets and sugars? Was I only imagining a slight irritation--sweets being dangled in front of me on a stick for only 40 days? Surely I can handle that little blip in the road.

Maybe I should read a little more than the suggested verse. Aha, Jesus was not actually tempted for 40 days. He fasted for 40 days and nights--the devil then tempted Him. Well, that's a little better. That is 39 days in the future. You know me the eternal procrastinator--we can worry about that when the time comes. Surely the Lord will be strengthening me by His mighty power to overcome that temptation, right?

Several, several years ago I had a Lenten revelation. Struggling with food issues and eating disorders for most of my life, it was fascinating to me that the devil used food as the first temptation. The devil then went on to tempt Jesus with acclaim and greed. Since food has always been my shortcoming, I have never progressed, if you will, to the point of acclaim and greed.

Imagine a conversation between the devil and one of his underling demons:

Demon: "Hey, there is Shauna, why don't we tempt her with the fame and notoriety that could come from being the novelist that she always wanted to be? Or maybe we can give her the business savvy of Trump? Better yet, why don't we give her the business savvy of Trump and allow her to appear on the Apprentice."

Devil: "Nah, just throw a Twinkie out in front of her. She will be bound for decades."