Is your history repeating itself?
We all have a history. What’s in yours? I have talked to people who wish they had not always taken the narrow, less traveled path. They feel separated from the world. They often feel alone, unable to relate to those who have traveled the wider path, the one that leads to destruction. I envy these people who have had better judgment, who have not made the mistakes that I have made. I have made so many poor decisions. I have so often taken the wider path, the one that leads to destruction. Why? Sin is so enticing. It’s often associated with pleasure, or the avoidance of displeasure. That’s the hook, isn’t it? Consider the first sin. God bid Adam and Eve to enjoy everything in the Garden of Eden but for the fruit of one tree. As blessed as they were, what obliged them to sin? Imagine – they were living in paradise, in this majestic garden that God had created. They had each other. But most importantly, they were in community with the heavenly Father, the omnipotent God, the creator of all things. What more could they desire? They had but one restriction imposed upon them, they could not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What was so enticing about that tree for Adam and Eve to succumb to temptation? We are told that the serpent was crafty. He must have been very convincing to lure them to partake of the tree. After all, he is the father of lies, a skillful deceiver. But, maybe there was something more compelling about the proposition. Was there something about the tree that attracted them? Maybe the tree was very pleasing to the eye. Maybe they were curious about the taste of the fruit. Or, maybe they wondered about the knowledge they would gain if they were to indulge themselves. Isn’t sin like that? It often looks very pleasurable. It arouses our curiosity. But, in the end, it leads to destruction, in so many ways. Often, it doesn’t just affect us but it affects those around us. Consider your sins. What’s your vice? How are you being tempted? What are you doing to avoid that temptation? Those people who take the narrow path, maybe they feel separated from the world because, quite possibly, they are separate from the world. Maybe they haven’t allowed themselves to become polluted by the world. No doubt, these people got it right. We should be separate from the world. If you have a history that’s unpleasing to God, start taking the less traveled path. It has been said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. Well, stop allowing your history to repeat itself. Do something different!