My dad is a car aficionado. Let me just illustrate that statement: there are five members of my family (four of whom can drive), and we own seven cars. Now I'm no genius, but those numbers don't exactly add up. It only makes sense that he is a stickler for keeping any and all of our vehicles in top-notch condition, but especially his Infiniti FX.
I used to get so annoyed when we'd run errands or go places and Dad would park way, way out in what he calls "the boonies." It's the back part of the parking lot and, more descriptively, a lonely sometimes scary setting with no cars or people anywhere nearby. The walk from the car to the place you wanna get to feels like a mile, and I'd make sure to whine the entire way so Dad got a good taste of my irritation.
Every time, he'd give the same exact boring speech... "Rachel, my car is important to me and I don't want it to get dinged or clipped. So the safest, smartest way to avoid that happening is to park it where it isn't even at risk."
Blah blah blah. It was worse during the winter months when we had to trudge through snow and avoid slipping on icy streets. Those were the times when I really thought he was nuts.
But I guess it's true what they say, "you'll understand in time...."
God desires us to live as faithful, pure, righteous people. Considering today's culture, that sounds like a pretty hard thing to do. But it really isn't all that difficult. The danger is when we trust our own selves to maintain faith, purity and righteousness in tempting circumstances or situations, because the reality is that we just can't. We have an enemy who lurks about like a hungry lion, waiting for the right moment to trick us, try us and tear us down. Satan plays to our humanness because that's his only shot at winning. One of his greatest skills is to mess with our mind and convince us that we are strong enough to stand alone and still be firm in our convictions.
But we are not strong enough, at least not when we're by ourselves and betting on own moral margin to kick in when it should. Naturally, we push the lines; we cross the boundaries. We end up the very person we never hoped we'd be. And then we wonder how we got there.
The secret, then, to living faithfully, purely and righteously is to not even "park" ourselves where we are vulnerable to any damage. Yeah, it's not always the shortest, most convenient path but it's the most rewarding. It is also the safest, smartest way to protect our hearts, respect those around us and honor God.
I love the New Living Translation version of 1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Stay away from every kind of evil."
The Greek word apechesthe is used here, which literally means to "abstain" or "to keep oneself from." This is not just a caution but a command. We must choose carefully where we put our car because it affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Physically, our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:13). God desires a pure heart and we should, too.
Mentally, our thoughts reflect who we are. Philippians 4:8 instructs us to think about whatever is "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy."
Spiritually, our faith should be an outward expression of His inner dwelling. Titus 2:11-12 says that it is the grace of God that "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
Think twice about where you park your car. It makes a difference and can save you a whole lot of pain and heartache.
I'm realizing the "boonies" aren't so bad after all.
-Rachel
I used to get so annoyed when we'd run errands or go places and Dad would park way, way out in what he calls "the boonies." It's the back part of the parking lot and, more descriptively, a lonely sometimes scary setting with no cars or people anywhere nearby. The walk from the car to the place you wanna get to feels like a mile, and I'd make sure to whine the entire way so Dad got a good taste of my irritation.
Every time, he'd give the same exact boring speech... "Rachel, my car is important to me and I don't want it to get dinged or clipped. So the safest, smartest way to avoid that happening is to park it where it isn't even at risk."
Blah blah blah. It was worse during the winter months when we had to trudge through snow and avoid slipping on icy streets. Those were the times when I really thought he was nuts.
But I guess it's true what they say, "you'll understand in time...."
God desires us to live as faithful, pure, righteous people. Considering today's culture, that sounds like a pretty hard thing to do. But it really isn't all that difficult. The danger is when we trust our own selves to maintain faith, purity and righteousness in tempting circumstances or situations, because the reality is that we just can't. We have an enemy who lurks about like a hungry lion, waiting for the right moment to trick us, try us and tear us down. Satan plays to our humanness because that's his only shot at winning. One of his greatest skills is to mess with our mind and convince us that we are strong enough to stand alone and still be firm in our convictions.
But we are not strong enough, at least not when we're by ourselves and betting on own moral margin to kick in when it should. Naturally, we push the lines; we cross the boundaries. We end up the very person we never hoped we'd be. And then we wonder how we got there.
The secret, then, to living faithfully, purely and righteously is to not even "park" ourselves where we are vulnerable to any damage. Yeah, it's not always the shortest, most convenient path but it's the most rewarding. It is also the safest, smartest way to protect our hearts, respect those around us and honor God.
I love the New Living Translation version of 1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Stay away from every kind of evil."
The Greek word apechesthe is used here, which literally means to "abstain" or "to keep oneself from." This is not just a caution but a command. We must choose carefully where we put our car because it affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Physically, our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:13). God desires a pure heart and we should, too.
Mentally, our thoughts reflect who we are. Philippians 4:8 instructs us to think about whatever is "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy."
Spiritually, our faith should be an outward expression of His inner dwelling. Titus 2:11-12 says that it is the grace of God that "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
Think twice about where you park your car. It makes a difference and can save you a whole lot of pain and heartache.
I'm realizing the "boonies" aren't so bad after all.
-Rachel
Rachel, we really do have to be always "on guard" about where we 'park' ourselves. Just during a quick lapse of paying attention, we can stop and say "how did I get here?".
ReplyDeleteI can think of so many examples of this happening to me. Deciding ahead of time where we are/are not going to go helps a lot...be prepared for that temptation before you run smack into it.
I travel some for work and that is an environment that is challenging. I was recently in a meeting talking about a possible trip to Wales. Most in the meeting were of the thought that "if you like pubs, this is the place to go", followed by most of the room laughing. Like I said, most were laughing. While I'm all for having fun with friends, I'm not going to include alcohol in those times of fellowship. That's a decision I made a long time ago.
Like you said, Rachel, our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" and we need to treat our temples like the gift they are to us.
Sorry to get long-winded here, but this "boonies" discussion is pretty darned appropriate for all of us. Thanks again for your insights. (Keep 'em coming!)