I know all about the despair of overcoming chronic temptation. It is not serious, provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience, etc., don't get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one's temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us: it is the very sign of His presence.
C.S. Lewis
Letters of C.S. Lewis
20th January 1942
I'm guilty. People tell me I'm hard on myself. I think of it as humility, but does God see self-pity and egotism? Wallowing in our poor performance and kicking ourselves around for messing up again only serve to distract us from continuing our faith race, from advancing to the next turn.
No amount of falls will undo us if we keep picking ourselves up each time.
How do we beat temptation?
By not giving up. By pressing on. By picking ourselves up and giving it another shot. By keeping our eyes on the finish line.
Photo Credit: Vincent Luigi Molino
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