On Not Feeding Temptation
Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.
Maxim #13
Temptations often begin small. When sitting down to pray the silence can be interrupted by a the many small things on the agenda for the day. An attractive person can catch one’s eye and the mind turn quickly to lustful thoughts. While driving to work, the things we are most worried about can appear to distract us from entering fully into a new day.
Fr. Hopko’s 13th maxim for Christian living is to cut off these intrusive thoughts before they have time to grow to maturity. Temptations are much easier to deal with when small. One of the things I learned when working with at risk teens is that one proven way to escalate an already heated situation was to engage it by debating, shouting, etc. It was like throwing fuel on the fire. On the other hand, when approaching the same situation with a calm demeanor while saying little or nothing at all, usually resulted in the teens quickly settling down.
Temptations can work the same way. When we engage them either by giving them positive attention or even engaging them through resistance, they tend to start planting their roots. When we are able to simple note and ignore them, they lose much of their power.
Today I hope to starve any temptations that come my way.
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