Protection from the Burn
“And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
If you know me, you know that I simply cannot get tan. My skin tone ranges from porcelain to pale no matter how much time I spend in the sun. When I went to Belize my sophomore year, I was determined that maybe things could change. My goal was to soak up the sun and get as much color as possible. To achieve this, I decided that maybe sunscreen wasn’t the way to go, and, instead, I should use some Tanning Oil with an SPF of around 10 to get the best outcome. Looking back at it now, I knew that this would probably result in sunburn. But I was convinced that just maybe it could turn into a tan. I was wrong.
After going to bed with a face as red as a tomato, I woke up to huge blisters, dry skin, and an excessive amount of scabs on the right side of my face. I looked worse than Harvey Dent (known as Two-Face) from the Batman series. It was clear- I had made the wrong decision and would reap the consequences.
In life, we make decisions that are classified as either Right or Wrong. More often than not, we know which is which, yet choose to distort one or the other so we can capitalize off our wants and needs. Whether it be changing aspects of our lives to try and fit “in”, or doing things to avoid FOMO (fear of missing out), the real world makes us question our character and ask ourselves-Will there really be consequences for my actions?
What we don’t realize is that once we make a poor decision, it gets easier to make similar choices. It’s only until something big happens when we’re aware of the brokenness in our lives and we feel ashamed, and sinful. This is why God tells us to choose his word over temptation.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says, “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” In times of struggle not only will God be with you through every step, but also he’ll provide a way out. And this is through his WORD and GRACE.
It’s incredible how reading scripture can ultimately influence our decisions and emotions towards life. Life in a broken world is hard. But as we continue to develop our faith through God’s word, our actions start showing who God is, rather than our own selfish desires. To further emphasis this, Paul says in Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes”. God longs for us to take refuge in his word, and use it to protect us from the temptations and pressures of the world. It’s through scripture that we’re encouraged to further our understanding of how God longs to dissuade us from making bad choices, yet, seamlessly provides us with grace and healing even if we do so.
Lord, I pray that I might take up your armor and absorb your word to better my life and decision-making skills. I pray that I may really think about the choices I make, and make sure that I glorify you in all that I do.