Line in the sand

I have two 'kids.' Neither of them are actually kids anymore, one is at University in Florida, the other is married, working a good job and going back to school for continuing education which is the life of anyone in computers and IT. Very proud of both, and my daughter-in-law as well, so let me up the number to 'three.'

One of those fine people is having trouble with a friend or two. They are young people, the friend, and they are engaging in self-destructive behavior. Not unusual for young people, but these are people my kid cares about, and my kid is suffering pain over the whole situation. Yes, I am more vague than usual this morning - but the fact of the matter is that all three of my kids have people like this in their lives right now, and the pastor of our church has a bunch, I have more than one, and my wife has more than one.

Let me start all over again - we all have people who we care about who are engaging in self-destructive behavior. Drinking, drugs, overeating, not exercising, not using their brains, not pursuing a better life or education, hanging out with the wrong people who may be doing all of the above.

One friend literally announced that they were going to go out and get drunk the other day - another has abandoned not only his faith, but the ministry and has entered a life of amazing self absorption. Walked away from family and friends too.

So what do we do when this strikes us? I told one of my kids that we can't really care more about these people than they care about themselves. If we do, we are in danger of losing it when they do. We can end up self-destructing as we tear ourselves apart watching them do the same thing.

We may not go do drugs or get bombed, but we give the drugs or the alcohol the power to destroy one more life: ours.

Jesus said that he came to give us life, and life more abundantly. I want to be more of an influence on the lives around me than they are on me. I am drawing a line in the sand of my life - I will not allow other people's choices to come in and ruin mine. I will still care about them, still pray for them (a lot) but I no longer want to make an opening into my life through which death can come in.

In Jesus' name.