When we look at the...
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When we look at the temptations of Jesus and how he withstood them, we are advised to think in terms of personal maturity. How much do we depend on what others think about us and how much do we dance to the tune of our own spiritual drummer?
Some intimate advice, in the words of Noelle Oxenhandler, helps. "As soon as we let our partner off the hook for the way we feel, he or she is able to respond in ways that we need." Why let the devil or our partner or our peers tell us who we are?
Consider this gardener. She said that whenever someone came over to see her garden, she took him or her on a tour of it. They were always less enthusiastic than she thought they should be. The gardener then realized that to have a garden does not require the enthusiasm of others so much as an enthusiasm of her own. Her enthusiasm about her garden is what mattered. Jesus' enthusiasm about his God is what mattered most to him -- and thus he was able to ignore the devil's temptations.
Some intimate advice, in the words of Noelle Oxenhandler, helps. "As soon as we let our partner off the hook for the way we feel, he or she is able to respond in ways that we need." Why let the devil or our partner or our peers tell us who we are?
Consider this gardener. She said that whenever someone came over to see her garden, she took him or her on a tour of it. They were always less enthusiastic than she thought they should be. The gardener then realized that to have a garden does not require the enthusiasm of others so much as an enthusiasm of her own. Her enthusiasm about her garden is what mattered. Jesus' enthusiasm about his God is what mattered most to him -- and thus he was able to ignore the devil's temptations.
