Is it worth it? 1 John 2:15-17

Today is the big day!  Everyone is all dressed and ready for family pictures.  You have chosen khaki pants and white shirts as your color scheme for the year, and your setting will be a lovely wooden dock overlooking the lake of shining waters.  After managing to keep your two year old clean for over an hour now, you have finally reached your destination.  With great anticipation, you step out of your car to make your way over to the famous lake.  For a moment, all seems right.  But looking up, you stop dead in your tracks.  The only way to cross over to the lake of shining waters is to trample through a large pen of hogs who have been wallowing in thick, gooey mud.  Now you face the dreaded question.  Is it worth it?

That is the question my husband and I were faced with on Thursday evening as we sat down to watch a movie together.  We had rented a movie that had a "good Christian message".  Looking forward to our night of relaxation, we began to watch the DVD.  The movie seemed to be off to a pretty good start.  A little predictable, but still interesting.  Then came a party scene that became way to graphic.  Just as you think, "Okay, we get the idea", you are led to yet another "scene".  Good movie with a great message?  Not if I have to trample through the mud to get to the point.  Is it worth it?  That's a question only you can answer.  If the Holy Spirit is present and truly guiding your life, then you will know when it's time to say no. 

We live in this world, yes.  But we are called to have standards that reveal there is a change within us.  Not a list of rules that make us feel good and righteous, but an openness to hear the Holy Spirit guide us into truth when we have tricked ourselves into believing that what we are doing is "ok" or just a "bad habit" when in reality it is sin.

Oftentimes, I am pained by how much sin I have allowed in my life.  Don't be discouraged!  God is a God of love and forgiveness.   Recognize your sin, confess it, learn from it, and move on.  You can't live in the past, but you can learn from it and use it to point others in the right direction.