One day, as I walked to the mailbox in front of our house, a flock of geese flew overhead and I looked up as they passed by. As I watched the geese fly overhead in formation, I became disoriented and walked right into the back of our car. Because I didn’t pay attention to where I was going, I forgot about the car and I am really glad no one was watching! This embarrassing incident taught me an important lesson.
Don’t look up when geese fly by!
Our culture offers many opportunities to compromise our convictions and these distractions are presented to us in every form of media. The challenge is to discern what is healthful and to reject what is harmful. As we do so, we maintain our integrity.
When I am aware of these challenges to integrity, I am ready to accept the Apostle Paul's goal for my own life: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3.14, NKJV). Paul desired to live a godly life and was familiar with the dangers of drifting. He realized how easy it was to take his eyes off the goal of a life of integrity before God.
Many have allowed themselves to be distracted by the Internet and have indulged in all kinds of pornography. This has reached epidemic proportions and my advice is simple. When you are tempted to indulge, shut down the computer and leave the room immediately.
One day, while I was running near the Whitman Elementary School in our neighborhood, I saw a pornographic magazine lying on the sidewalk. I was so offended by the images that I felt sick in my stomach and wondered to myself, "Why would someone leave this in plain view of the children walking to and from school?"
I was also faced with a challenge. Should I leave the magazine on the sidewalk? No, I couldn’t do that because children would see it and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. Should I pick it up and take it with me? I didn't want to touch it. Instead, I kicked the magazine into the woods and covered it up with leaves. That solved the problem.
Remember when you are tempted. Don’t look up when geese fly by!
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