Tightrope Over A Pigsty

"After the first blush of sin comes its indifference."
~ Henry David Thoreau

I am the proud mom to three wonderful boys. They can be a handful at times, and they don’t always make the best decisions, but I love them just the same. You see I know deep down in their hearts that they know and understand what is right. I know because we have taught them. Not just with words, but also by example, and with higher standards than perhaps some others hold. I know because it is a priority in our home to go to church. Because my boys have been in church consistently their whole lives they have been taught by some of the most dedicated, loving Christians I have ever known. They have each given their hearts to the Lord and each have a passion for serving Him. I’m not super mom. I goof up and make mistakes just like anyone else. But I do not compromise when it comes to teaching my children what is acceptable before God, and what is not. Some people will look at my boys and think that perhaps I don’t let them have enough fun, that I worry too much or that I don’t give them enough freedom, because I don’t allow them to participate in things that I consider “risky” behaviors. You can’t “play” with sin. If you walk on the edge of sin long enough, eventually you are gonna fall right into the middle of it. It’s like walking a tightrope over a pigsty. Eventually you are gonna slip up and fall right into the middle of all that nastiness, and once you do, it gets all over you! Ya know, people who work on pig farms say that eventually you get so used to the smell that you don’t even notice it anymore. It’s hard to believe when you smell it for the first time that you could ever get used to that smell! Sin is the same way. Eventually that first blush of sin fades and then you become indifferent to it. You don’t think it’s so bad after all, and before you know it you are so used to the sin that it seems normal. What I’m trying to say is this….don’t play around with sin and don’t let your kids either. Kids, don’t think you can hang out with people who drink & smoke pot and not eventually get dragged into it yourself. Don’t think you can be around people who are disrespectful, lie, steal, or curse without eventually becoming so used to it that you do it too. The true measure of a person is the company they keep. The friends that are closest to you are the ones that determine how you behave. Surround yourself with Godly friends. I’m not saying you can’t be friends with someone who has made bad decisions…but if you do then YOU have to be the stronger influence, the better example, and be anchored in your beliefs, because if you aren’t, they will eventually pull you in the wrong direction. The most important point I’m trying to make is this....you can’t play around with sin. The smallest thing, leads to something a little bigger, and little bigger until it is something huge. Like easing yourself into a hot tub of water….eventually you get used to it, and it feels good.
"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something."
~ Henry David Thoreau