Some of our best lessons in life play out in the lives of the little ones around us, don’t they? And with four grandsons age three and under, I have a feeling I will be witness to lots of lessons over the next few years. Just last fall, one such lesson unfolded while I was visiting our daughter Kristin, her husband Shawn, and our sweet grandsons Isaiah and James.

While I was doing my makeup one morning, Isaiah—who was not yet three at the time—ran into the bathroom to see me and was promptly met with unexpected temptation. In a house with twin 2-year old boys, everything you don’t want them to touch is, of course, usually put up or pushed back beyond their reach. Without thinking, though, I had left my glasses sitting on the bathroom counter right at Isaiah’s eye level and very much within his reach.

The moment Isaiah spied his temptation, his face became a picture of the battle going on in his little heart and mind. His eyes sparkled with anticipation while he did his best to subdue a full-faced grin. I then watched him momentarily consider and then resist the urge to grab my glasses. He made a good choice and oh the pride I felt in him at that moment! Of course, I praised him like crazy and we both rejoiced in his good decision. He resisted temptation! 

I wonder, are any of us currently being met with unexpected temptation? Have any of us come face-to-face with something we know is off-limits or dangerous? Are there some urges we need to resist?

Let’s do it—like Isaiah, let’s resist the temptation and make a good choice. Let’s bring the Father joy and give him reason to puff up with pride. We’ll all have reason to rejoice, won’t we?

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith . . .” 1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV

*What do you do to resist temptation?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out early this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Beshef, Creative Commons License