How Far?

To be quite honest, I'm not much in a writing mood today. But things have definitey been on my mind. Much too many to write here. Much to personal to share with the world. But something that was talked about last night with the students at Brentwood I feel needs to reiterated, especially in our culture. We are in the middle of the sex series and asked the students to define their "limits". How far is too far before you cross the line or jump into the fire? I'd like to pose the same question not only in the area of sex, but in life in general.

I'm sure you've heard before that it is better to build a fence at the top of the cliff than it is to build a hospital at the bottom. Better to prevent tragic things from happening, from ruining our lives and the lives of those around us than to have to clean up the mess afterwards. Not that we can't clean up the mess (with forgiveness, love, and care), but isn't it better to not have to deal with all that to begin with?

Don't get me wrong, life is worth taking some risks, but some things are definitely not worth the risk. Some things are meant to be left alone. So in the areas of purity and other things as such, why not ask "How far away can I stay?" instead of "How close can I get?" Seems kind of silly to inch your way closer and closer to the jaws of death when you know very well that you do not want to die (or jump into anything else that may follow, not necessarily death) when you can just avoid it altogether.

I think this is what Paul was talking about when he said to throw off everything that slows us down and all the sins that trip us up (Hebrews 12:1). This doesn't mean to put it further down in our backpacks so they are harder to access. No, it means to chuck it head-long across the room. Stay as far away from it as possible so we can live the life God has called us to. How much harder it would be to run across the room to pick it back up than to fumble through our bags or reach down to the ground beside us where we kept such things "away" but ever so close to us.

While we may never be able to erase our struggles from our memories, thoughts, emotions... we can attempt to completely avoid them instead of staying close by just waiting for when they will trip us up yet again. I think sometimes we... I... make life so much harder than it really is by keeping such struggles, fears, temptations, so close by my side as if they were a prized possession instead of discarding it far from me as though they were repulsive, as they are...