Playing With Fire

Lesson 18: If you play with sin, you're going to get hurt.

I like to compare sin with fire.  You play with it long enough, you're going to get burned.  I think a lot of people do things that isn't technically sin, but it's pushing the boundaries.  People think, "I can get away with this and it's okay" or "It's not technically sin so it's fine."  How long will you push the boundaries until you've finally crossed the line?  It's only a matter of time.  I'll give a few examples:

The person who says, "A few drinks is no big deal." They wind up passed out on the floor the next morning or regretting something huge.

The person who suppresses anger and bitterness deep into their hearts, and ends up in jail for battery later.

The person who pushes the boundaries of sex, will wake up regretting something they never wanted to do (whether it's the actual sex or a boundary they made for themselves).

The person who thinks, "It's just dinner," ends up cheating because they were in his/her house alone together.

I could come up with several more.  Obviously these seem like extreme cases, but are they?  Looking back, I made a lot of excuses for myself like, "I can control myself" and what have you.  I did a lot things I ended up regretting.  Although I can't say I regret it now because it's taught me a lot, I have to admit that if I had a time machine, I would try to prevent it.  The only thing I have done by pushing the boundaries of sin is get hurt and hurt other people.  How long will I push these boundaries until the line is finally crossed?  When friends tell me things sound like boundary pushing, I can't help but be fearful for them and their soul.  Boundary pushing with any sin will do no good.

I'm not sure why, but I keep remembering this speaker who I saw a few years back.  She was talking specifically about sexual sin and how it's like a fire.  In marriage (or the fire place), it's a beautiful thing and it warms you.  But outside of that, it brings destruction and hurt.  Play with fire long enough, you'll get burned.  Play with the boundaries of sin long enough, you'll be broken and hurt.

~Alyssa (Sailor Star Defender)