Lead Us Not Into Temptation

“Why everything that’s supposed to bad make me feel so good?”—Kanye West

For the most part, I’m very capable of not giving into temptation. I think about all of the consequences and repercussions of my actions and scare myself into doing the “right thing.” While that works (most of the time), I sometimes question what life would be like if I actually gave in to my urges.

Around the age of 6 is when you pretty much know right from wrong. You know not to steal those Pokémon cards from the grocery store. But sometimes knowing right from wrong isn’t enough to stop you from doing wrong. If it were enough, my mom wouldn’t have whooped my behind when she found out I took my friends joyriding in her brand new car 15 years ago.

Giving into temptation certainly seems like a lot more fun than the straight and narrow. We get a thrill from indulging in the forbidden, and it’s a perfect appeal to our need for excitement. Despite those “benefits,” temptation usually always ends up complicating things, especially when it comes to love.

Recently, I got a phone call from my friend Rochelle. (Not her real name.) Her level of excitement was ridiculous, and Rochelle only gets geeked about two things: music and new boos. She proceeded to tell me that she found the “perfect” guy, and that they’ve been seeing each other for almost a month. No one has ever made her feel the way that he does and the sex is off the chain.

But there was one major issue: Rochelle just discovered that her best friend also dated “Mr. Right” a few years ago. How she didn’t know this is beyond me, because my BFF knows me through and through. But somehow, this one guy managed to slip past their many conversations about love, sex and other things.

To me, this was a no-brainer. If the BFF dated or screwed someone, they were off limits. We’re close but not that damn close. Still, me and Rochelle are different people. And time does have a way of changing things. I told Rochelle to be honest with her best friend and tell her how deeply she felt for the guy. Who knows? Her friend might not give a damn, since she was happy in another relationship, and a lot of time had passed since she was involved with the guy.

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