Temptations

It is not the best time for the Swallow to go window shopping right now.  With the delight she finds looking at nature especially plants and flowers, the huge amount of blooms on display in markets and supermarkets is a great temptation to the Swallow.

Just yesterday, a seemingly innocent quest to look for some last-minute items for Chinese New Year (CNY) brought a variety of flowering plants and cut flowers into her path.  The Swallow stopped short of drooling over these displays.   The only thing that stopped her from succumbing to the temptation to buy any of the displays was the cost.  There is no harm in just looking, right?  So she stopped to look, and look, and look.  Then she felt it - just a little thug..."Wouldn't that plant look good in such and such a corner?" "Wow, such beautiful colours!  So fitting for the home since it has been raining for a while and everything is so dreary..." "Hey, those flowers are sold only for CNY.  Just get one.  No, better to get more.  One looks so lonely..." Thoughts like these came swiftly to the Swallow...more lingering...more stops...suddenly she realized what was happening.  For a moment, she was where Eve was in the Garden of Eden...

Quickly, she grabbed her young one's hand and made a smooth exit to the check-out counter, muttering along the way "flee, flee, flee from temptation...".  However, that was not the end...along the way to the main exit from the shopping complex, there were more and more plants and flowers, showing a riot display of colours and variety.

After a few more abrupt stops and lingering, her young one wised up, and quickly made her move to drag the Swallow away.  Making the most of a teachable moment, the Swallow explained about temptations to her young one.  How adults too have their own battles to fight against temptations.

1 Corinthians 10 : 13 (NIV)
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

The Swallow is grateful to the Lord God for providing a way out for her through her young one's presence.  The Swallow hopes that her young one would be equally grateful if and when the Swallow pulls her away from temptations.

The next best thing?  The Swallow plans to stay away from the shops for a while...