DON'T GO THERE
No one can be caught in a place he does not visit.
-- Danish proverb
As a child, I behaved in childish ways and I got caught several times choosing to tell an untruth so I could have my own way. I’m talking teenage child here. A time when our physical bodies look adult but emotionally and spiritually, we need to be under the protective covering of our parents’ wisdom, guidance and prayers.
“Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. .” 2 Timothy 2:22 It’s the Teen Prayer
Pray it daily if you are a teen or a teen at heart.
There are some essential Scripture verses to keep close at hand for growing families leaning on the Lord. Let’s start with the reward in Proverbs 17: 6 Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. I have a pearl to string that I gleaned from living life: “Parent your children well for they will be parenting your grandchildren”. Ephesians 6:1-4 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise) that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
A seven-year-old boy in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, learned a lesson that could serve him well for the rest of his life — if only he will remember. From my own experience and that of countless others I know, I fear it will gradually fade from memory. He'll probably repeat a variant of the same mistake. It's hard to figure out why this particular precept escapes us so easily. Here's the story . . .
Timmy Novotny was at a grocery store with his dad on January 3, 2004. While his father made a call on a pay phone just a few feet away, Timmy stared up at the stuffed animals in a game box. It's the kind you see lots of places with dozens of cheap little stuffed animals lying beneath a joystick-operated crane.
Timmy's dad turned around to discover that the boy had somehow climbed through the chute where the toys come out! There he was — just sitting among the bears and other stuffed creatures that had fascinated him through the glass. The only problem was that he couldn't get back through the same passageway that had provided his entrance. He was stuck!
The manager of the Piggly Wiggly called the Sheboygan Fire Department for help in rescuing the little boy from his glass cage. With the help of a locksmith who arrived quickly, Timmy was out in about an hour. Rescuers still haven't figured out how he could have gotten through the eight-by-ten-inch chute. But there he was! Getting in some places is a lot easier than getting out of them.
Timmy, what you learned that day seems to be a rule of life. It is a whole lot easier to get into certain compromising situations than to extricate yourself from them. A teenager experiments with drugs or sex, joyriding in someone else's car or shoplifting. A woman takes a good-paying job in spite of her misgivings about the workplace atmosphere. A man finds comfort over his troubled marriage at a bar or from a friend's wife who seems to understand him. It is so easy to get connected to a porn or shopping or gambling site on the Internet.
A Pearl to String: Forbidden fruits create many jams.
By God's grace, there is a way to deal with these "tight spots" when the trap door springs behind us. "When you are tempted, God will provide a way out so that you can stand up under your trial". 1 Corinthians 10:13. But it will almost surely be embarrassing and costly, maybe very painful and devastating.
As Timmy learned, the safest course is simply to resist the initial urge. Keep your feet on the ground. Avoid letting enchantment turn into entrapment. Story from Rubel Shelly
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 2 Samuel 22:31/NIV
It’s safe to follow His footsteps,
Lyndi
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