Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:11, NABRE)
Earlier this year, I went five months without an iced venti decaf skinny mocha, a drink I had been indulging in as many as three times a day.
I’ve had two in the past two days, and it is taking every ounce of prayer power and self-will I have to keep from getting another one right now, even though I don’t like the taste that much anymore.
Now, some of you are laughing at this point. But that drink is a 
demon for me, one that eats up money and calories and space in my mind and soul that could be better used elsewhere. Maybe your iced venti decaf skinny mocha is gossiping or a relationship or an addiction you thought you had put to the curb for months, years, or even decades. And then one day, the demon re-emerges… just to see how strong you are. Sometimes, it’s easy to say no and follow a Christ-centered life. Other times, well, not so easy.
As Paul tells us in today’s lectionary reading from 1 Corinthians, we really don’t know anything about each other except the spirit within. We know the potential is in each of us to be good and holy and pleasing to the Lord at all times. That does not mean that achieving that can be done on our own. We need kindness and compassion from each other as we battle our demons, minor as they may seem to others, and the belief that Christ is out there swinging when our own defenses fail.
