Saturday, October 31, 2015
Yucky
My friend
watched in disgust as I pinched a large ant and a bit of dirt between my thumb
and index finger, lifted it to my mouth and swallowed it whole. I had learned to include a little dirt with
the ants because it kept me from feeling the ant squirm as it made its journey
down my throat. Not too bright - but my
friends were impressed. My mom had
taught me better, but everyone knows that parents don't want their kids to have
any fun, right? My mom had a track
record in this area. When I was toddler
and she caught me putting rocks, sticks, dog food or food that fell in the dirt
into my mouth, she would rush over,
scoop in out of my mouth and say "yucky".
I didn't
understand it then, but my mom was a smart lady. She knew that it was dangerous for me to do
everything my little heart desired. She
knew that I would feel like doing things that would hurt me or others, so she
made it her mission to teach me to control my urges rather than to let my urges
control me. I was born putting things in
my mouth, but she did not buy into the philosophy that my urges proved that God
made me to eat rocks and ants.
"Yucky" was her way of saying, "Son, you have the power
to choose; foolish people follow their urges and wise people choose to only eat
what is healthy."
God is our
loving, wise Father who understands the same principle. We were born with desires and propensities
that can be dangerous. When we engage in
behavior that is bad for our spiritual, emotional or physical health, He rushes
to our side and says "yucky."
He says it through His Word,
through His people, and through our conscience. He reminds us that choice is the most
powerful thing He has given us. We can
choose life or death. We can choose to
trust our urges or time-proven principles.
When we resent His efforts we are like the toddler who is throwing a fit
because his father took the marble out of his mouth.
Here
is how it sounds in Scripture when God says "yucky": "When you follow the desires of your
sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful
pleasures, idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and
other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone
living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy
Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is
no law against these things!" (Galatians
5:19-23 NLT)
We all have had the urge to steal,
hurt someone, wallow in self-pity, or engage in harmful behaviors. But God helps us choose wisely and rise above
those base and harmful leanings. I was
not born a thief. I was not born
vengeful. I was not born an
adulterer. Rather, I was born with a
tendency toward those things, as were we all.
I am thankful that God put people in my life who helped me to understand
the power of choice. Their "yuckies"
have saved me untold misery. I am
healthier because of their diligence and my subsequent choices. That does not make me better than other
people, but it does allow me to live a healthier life. I am thankful for the many times those who
cared for my said, "Yucky!"
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