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Desire happens. Even to the most pure-minded among us. And it is not—in and of itself—sinful. As Augustine taught, desires must not so much be denied as rightly ordered. There's a space—be it small—between yearning and sin, between desire and giving in. In this moment, we get to choose. We can choose to follow at our urges' behest. We can choose the way of denial. We can choose to drown in shame. We can call a friend. We can pick up a good book, the Good Book perhaps. We can flee temptation by whatever means work best for us.

I try to subvert the devil by giving thanks. Desire triggers a prayer in me, something like this: Thank you, God, for giving me eyes to see and for sight. For giving me dreams to dream and for dreaming. For the beauty that suffuses the world.

It's not a formula, and it's not a given. It may not work for everyone. But for me, it's a way out. I refuse to wallow in guilt over getting caught in sudden delight, something that God—as I readily point out to him—wired inside me. So I thank him instead. Once an honest conversation takes place between me and God, the misguided desire loses its intensity. "There, there," I say to it. "You've made your point. I am alive in a beguiling world."

And a familiar hunger—for the man I wed seven years ago—returns to my bones.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other Taste and See columns include:

'Ordinary' Delights | Let us praise the consoling banality of good. (March 13, 2007)

Dating Jesus | When 'lover of my soul' language goes too far. (December 6, 2006)

To Russia with Fury | Sometimes charity means anger. (October 9, 2006)

What (Not All) Women Want | The finicky femininity of 'Captivating' by John and Stasi Eldredge. (August 1, 2006)

A Velveteen Apologetic | How two creatures dig a rabbit hole in my disbelief. (April 1, 2006)

What Would Jesus Buy? | Saving the world one cashmere sweater at a time. (February 1, 2006)

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April 2007, Vol. 51, No. 4