A reflection on temptation

This morning, during Adoration, I was reading The Imitation of Christ and The Friendship of Christ. Usually, be it mere coincidence or something more, the chapters of each book treat on somewhat similar subjects. Today what I took away mostly from my reading involves temptation. 

The first thing is that our temptations do not define us. We are all too hasty to judge our fellow humans. If someone admits being tempted to do something horrible, or just having temptations I don't, it is easy for me to think of myself as better than that person. Of course, this is not true at all. It is not our temptations, but our sins and good deeds which make us who we are. After all, Jesus was tempted while on earth, being just as human as you and me. (I have been planning to some to post about a book that taught me this concept. Remind me!)

So. Second thing. And here, I remember something I read in St. Thérèse of Lisieux's Story of a Soul. I don't remember the exact quote, but basically she said that one of the reasons we should welcome suffering is that God, Who knows us better than we know ourselves, would never (ever) give us a hardship we couldn't endure. The same goes for temptation. God wants us to get to Heaven. He is on our side. So, He would never give us a temptation if He wasn't sure we could overcome it. It may be hard, very hard, but it is a comfort knowing that it is possible. Think of it as a test customized to fit a person's abilities so that, with a little effort, they are sure to pass.

Now let's go back to the subject of hasty judgement. If someone admits a temptation that seems worse than our own, does it make that person worse than us? On the contrary, it may imply that the person is spiritually stronger than we are, and thus can resist worse temptation. 

Let us try to look upon our fellow man with admiration, not disdain!