Jesus was tempted as we are

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday in Lent BCP 218)


Coming into this year's Lent, I think we are all a little bit more aware of our own temptations and weaknesses. We know how much we long, desire, need to have certain small things in our lives that we have been trying to do without for quite a while. I am reminded of a web comic I saw (https://xkcd.com/2419/) which has a graph of hug counts by year. The alt-text reads "I've never been that big of a hug person, but it turns out I'm not quite this small of a hug person either." Meaning, even the author of the comic, a nerdy physicist, has recognized his need for more hugs after this past year. 


Thankfully, whatever temptations and weaknesses we are dealing with in our lives, Jesus is right by our side. Jesus walked through the wilderness and was tempted by Satan with all the food, power, and adoration he could ever want. Yet, Jesus knew the difference between what Satan was offering him and what God was offering him. Jesus knew how hard it could be to hold off on desires for a good cause. 


Our temptations and weaknesses are just another area which shows us how much we can depend on God. When we recognize those places in our lives and invite Jesus into them, we are given gifts and strength beyond our own capacity. God is indeed mighty to save and through Jesus can save us from any temptation, weakness, or trouble we find ourselves in. As we begin this Lent season, let us invite Jesus into our places of longing, to be with us and help us. 

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