This weekend in our Gospel, Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the desert and is tempted by the devil. Jesus finds himself in a barren place, not unlike us at times. Rather than look at these three areas as temptations, how can we look at these as invitations to grow in our faith?

The first temptation/invitation is hunger…wanting to cheat to get satisfaction. Where in our life do we find ourselves wanting to jump ahead and get what we want? We want to be satisfied and we know what we need, right? We learn that the food that God gives us may not be what we would choose, but it nourishes us in a deeper way, and we are satisfied.

The second temptation/invitation plays to ego…to have it all. How important is it for us to be noticed or liked? How can we examine our lives and see where God is calling us deeper? We just need to let go and trust and through Him will we have it all!

The third temptation/invitation is vulnerability…this targets our deepest fear, to be safe. We all want hardships to pass us by and we can be tricked that God will take that suffering away. This is a big area for me to focus on this year! We are loved in our vulnerability, not out of it. It is easy to trust in hindsight, rather than to trust in the moment.

How do these three temptations, or rather invitations, play out in your life? What areas do you need to focus on this Lent so that you grow closer to God through this holy season? May it be a fruitful Lent!