Escalation of Temptation

Modern Influence
Written By Kristin Buchtel

Is there a thriving orchard of temptation today, or an overabundance of serpents?

Inventions, technology, and abundance have multiplied so rapidly over the past century that I wonder if we have overlooked how to use these gifts as we ought.

  • We can buy as many things as we want, many of which we do not need.

  • We watch a sound bite of news and pride ourselves as experts on a topic.

  • We post our best selfie online and hashtag our exotic location.

  • We seek to look young and thin as we age, regardless of the number of expensive products it takes to achieve this.

  • We accumulate reward points for status and perks in the marketplace.

  • We are connoisseurs of charcuterie, vintages, and desserts.

  • We overlook sex, language, and violence in popular shows to be in the know, and IYKYK. (If You Know, You Know)

We overindulge ourselves as a regular, routine part of modern life, and when I say “we” I mean “me”.

Even secular society knows this is too much as they create podcasts and videos promoting minimalism, fasting, and meditation, which are trending everywhere.

The story of Adam and Eve warns us.

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord had made…" Gen. 3:1

Has the serpent multiplied and hidden temptation so subtly in contemporary life that temptation has become the expectation of everyday living?

I feel so well acclimated to the current whispers of the excusing and treat-myself culture that I think it is time to reassess my lifestyle and my choices.

  • When does stocking up become hoarding?

  • When does eating become gluttony?

  • When does collecting become greed?

  • When does learning become prideful?

  • When do healthy habits turn into vanity?

  • When does scrolling become sloth?

I do not know where the lines are. I do know Eve only took one bite of the apple.

I wonder if I have become a crazy apple-grabbing woman, stocking up on temptations like a frenzied Black Friday sale shopper.

  • What are the temptations in society today that you think are disguised as everyday modern living?

  • Where are the subtle temptations in your life?

  • How do you live differently in a world of abundant temptation?

I’m asking for a friend. ;)

Prayer: Jesus, I pray for the wisdom to recognize the normalized and abundant temptations in my life. I pray for the courage to step away and the fortitude to continue my journey toward you.

Kristin Buchtel
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