I have a tendency when sin or struggle makes life difficult to want to retreat. A cave is always the imagery in my mind. The idea of escaping everything around me and living quietly out of anyone’s reach is appealing in those times.

While reading in Spurgeon’s All of Grace today, he spoke to my inclination:

“If we were to shut ourselves up in the lone cell of a hermit, temptation would follow us; for as long as we cannot escape from ourselves we cannot escape from incitements to sin.”

Spurgeon is right. The inclination to flee into solitude at the threat or torment of sin is nothing more than an attempt to retreat from self, which is nonsense. And, since it’s within self that sin and struggle find their gravitation pull, it wouldn’t matter how deeply into reclusion one dove, “we cannot escape from incitements to sin”.