My parents and I had planned to go to church yesterday evening, but the storm that blew in changed that. So, despite the frigid cold and snow which shut down most of the Sunday activities, I made my way to church this morning. I knew I needed to be there and was so glad I went. The homily that the priest gave was a great reality check and spiritual boost. He first asked how people were doing with their Lenten devotions, whether that is giving something up or adding a spiritual practice. Of course, the beginning of Lent was only a few short days ago. I typically give up chocolate or junk food in general, and try to add some type of prayer. I have not had any junk yet, and have been reading the 2 different devotions that are going right to my inbox. So far, so good. The priest continued saying that we are probably doing pretty good right now, but as time goes on it gets harder. I have known this to be true myself and was grateful for him speaking about the topic. He talked about how to best keep ourselves from giving into temptation. The first thing to do is to avoid the thing or situation that is going to tempt you. If you are trying to give up candy and cookies, get them out of your house. If you are trying to lead a chaste lifestyle, stay away from books, movies, or relationships that will cause you to stray. But sometimes we are faced with a temptation regardless of how much we try to stay away from it. That is where our spiritual life comes into play. If we have a relationship with Christ, we can call upon Him for help and trust that He will hear and help us. The more we trust Him, the more we see Him help us, we become more faithful and courageous. That leads to us making better decisions and standing firm when we need to. But having a relationship with Jesus Christ takes time and practice and prayer. It is like spiritual boot camp – we must be prepared and equipped for the enemy is at hand and trying to bring us down. I hung on every word he said. It was so true, yes, and so what I needed to hear today.

I Found God Today in a reminder of the importance of spiritual practice so I can be prepared and equipped for the battle of temptation that I face every day.