So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
Romans 7:13-25
"I try to be good, but sometimes I just can't help myself." I don't remember which of our daughters said it or what the circumstances were. Most parents hear similar words from their offspring, but when we examine the statement in the light of our quotation from Paul's letter to the Romans, we hear a different message. Each of us earnestly tries to obey God's law, and each of us is frequently frustrated at our inability to ignore the temptations assaulting us from every side. Indeed, we "delight in God's law," but we also find many ways of delighting in the empty pleasures of the secular world.
Are we too hard on ourselves? Maybe, maybe not. God gave us pleasurable earthly pastimes for our enjoyment, so they can't be all bad. Where we go astray is in what balance we achieve between the worldly and the holy. We know we shouldn't devote every hour of our lives to fun and games, but we also should realize that we don't have to spend all of our time with our noses to the spiritual grindstone. Even the most strictly cloistered monks find time to have fun.
What's the right balance for you and me? That's a good question for reflection during this Lenten season. If we are honest with ourselves, we will probably find that we need to change by God's grace in some way. We might need to pray more. Maybe we will actually find that we have to play more.
Bob McCoy+ (2008)
