Struggle with temptation, welcome to being a human. Here are some personal thoughts of mine on temptation and dealing with it.
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Temptations. They are everywhere.
I’m talking about in every aspect of life- to that 3rd piece of decadent chocolate cake that will ruin those health goals, to the complete opposite spectrum of controlling too much of what you consume and eating too little, to that guy you know isn’t good but adds some “fun” in your life, or to going to a place you know won’t lead to any good, to giving your mom or best friend some sass when you’re just having a bad day or to looking in the mirror and thinking negatively instead of positively about yourself.
Temptation is every where. When will it ever stop?
Well, unfortunately it may not be what you want to hear, but from the 21 years I have experienced life, I can say I am almost positive it never will.
So what do we do? We fight.
We all have the fighting spirit within us, one that wants to come out on top victorious, whether for selfish reasons or not.
That is what we use to our advantage. Our will to win. Our will to beat those temptations.
But first I must say, temptations can be sly little ones. They come off attractive in most cases, or else we would have no problem saying no. And temptations are also smart. They tend to know our weaknesses and our strengths, and they get us at those weak points.
In my life, if I’m honest, one of those weak points is anger and a lack of patience, especially when it comes to family who I’m close with. Sometimes I feel like my mom and I are best friends and worst enemies at the same time. I am so grateful for what she does in my life, yet we scream at each other when disagreeing, only forgetting about it 5 minutes later like nothing happened. Temptation #1 for me? Yelling back when I should just hold my tongue.
But of course I have many others. We all do. Just some stronger than others. I mean, how hard is it to not get sucked into what society portrays we’re supposed to be? Doing the money making job, not the one your passionate about and love, being super skinny like those models that are super photoshopped instead of being happy with the body you’ve been given? (granted you take steps in taking care of it).
From the blogging sense, there comes a whole other realm, like the temptation to constantly “keep up” with other bloggers, never giving yourself a break. Give up social media for a weekend to truly enjoy with your family or friends? Never. Couldn’t. Or can you? Being fully there, wherever you may be, instead of having your mind half way in what’s next on your to-do list or your current biggest stressor. That has been my main goal of 2014.
But temptations don’t stop there in my life either. After just coming out of a very serious relationship of over three years to a guy I adored and thought would spend my future with, I feel like the temptations are stronger than ever. Temptations to “just have fun”, which spans many different aspects. But let’s be honest, something I quickly find out each time I give in, it may be fun, but it doesn’t last long. And then what are you left with? Disappointment? Regret? We are all going to mess up. I’ll speak for myself. I know I am not perfect. I will let other people down. I will mess up. I will not do something I said I would. I am not perfect.
But that doesn’t mean I give up and stop fighting.
Have you been disappointed in yourself for a falling short of your health goal for the 10th time? Are you feeling bad about yourself for not working out when you had it in your schedule? Are you regretting that decision that ended you up somewhere you knew you didn’t want to be?
Good News: IT IS OKAY.
What isn’t okay, is staying down after falling. Each day is a new day. And each day will come with it’s own temptations, it’s own ways to fail at your goals or its own ways to disappoint yourself. We must fight. We must not give up.
I may not be a life professional with only 21 years under my belt, but I can say I have learned the secret to fighting..and winning.
You have to find that one thing in your life that motivates you, that makes you stronger, that inspires you, that builds you up, that gives you hope, that makes you want to become the best version of yourself that you can be.
I promised I would be honest in these posts and share my real life with you all, and so I will share that one thing that makes me want to become the best me. And that is Jesus Christ. He is the one that if I keep my eyes on, will allow me to say no to temptations at my weakest points, and do what in the end, will lead to the best life.
Find what that is for you, and allow it to strengthen, to inspire, to encourage, to build up, and to motivate you in fighting that temptation and becoming the best version of yourself.
Until next time,
xo Sarah Grace
*If you at all have anything you’d like to share on this topic, or anything you’d like to talk to me about, please never hesitate to reach out to me through email*