Life is a gift

[a letter written by a brother to his younger siblings]


Life is a gift…
The Bible says that God breathed the breath of life into man and he became a living being.
You and I are blessed to have this breath of life, in us, which is God’s own.
If you can recall what you learnt at Sunday school and probably later in your quiet time,
God did not just straight away create man and gave him the world as it was.
God took time, and in His wisdom created beautiful things that we see today in our rich blue planet,
saw all that He had created was good and then…and then He created man in His own image.
I personally believe that God wants us to enjoy life, in its fullness and live happily.
But then it does not stop there, the important fact is that God intends that we enjoy life in the right way, within the limits which He in His Wisdom has set for us.
I am sure you will now ask me what do you mean by “enjoy life in the right way”?
You are either just entering your teenage or you are in your youth; If you are saying I don’t fit into either of these categories then you should be in life’s most exciting but also the most risky phase – adolescence.
Probably till now you have not come across situations which demanded you to make a big decision.
Maybe all the choices you have made so far were influence by your parents or made by them.
But my friend let me tell you that from this phase of life you will be called to make tough decisions.

From now on, in every step you take you might have to make a choice and mind you, these small choices you make will ultimately make a huge difference in your life.


The story is told of a young man who was unjustly sold as a slave into a foreign land. He was deprived of all the dreams that he had as a kid, all that he wanted to enjoy in life after he grew up. Things did not work out for him the way he had anticipated back at home, being the most loved in the family. He was young, handsome, strong, intelligent - all that any young man would want to be. But he lacked this one thing which you and I enjoy - freedom.
Being away from home, a slave in a foreign land, under a cruel master (in olden days slaves were treated worse than animals), I am sure he would have been frustrated and depressed.
And now that mom and dad are not around he would be free to do what he wants. He would have thought, when life is throwing all the bad things it’s got at him, why not just enjoy life the way he wanted.
It happened so that the lady of the house, where he was a slave, noticed him. She enticed him each day into making the wrong choice. But this young man, though so far away from home and with no one to watch over him, just did not give in. The lady could not stand it. She went to the extent of pulling him to bed. And this is where this young man takes his first but firm stand.


I want you to carefully pay attention to the reason he quotes for his decision. Would you turn with me to Gen 39:9 in your Bible?
“How can I sin against God?”
He was surely aware of this one fact that even if there was no one around God was watching and it is to God that he is accountable.



I am sure by now you’d have realized that I have been talking about Joseph. 


There are only two things that can be running in your mind now:
1. Not again! I have heard this story a million times!
OR
2. Hey I ain’t like that! I would not give in to such a big sin. This is will never happen to me!


My loving friend let me assure you of this, if not this situation, situations similar to this are on their way and you can’t avoid them. But yes, you too can take a stand and say NO, just like Joseph did.
The world we live in, changes very quickly. The modern culture that we are exposed to today is very deceptive. Things are introduced to us in a very subtle way. We would have hardly realized we were into it and by then, we would have been dragged way into the system.


The Bible reminds us that we should not give the devil a foothold. The devil is a roaring lion looking out whom to devour.


Ships are anchored far at the sea when they do not get permission to dock at the harbor. Usually the period they stay anchored at sea is pretty long. During this time corals and other crustaceans attach themselves to the hull (the base, lower part of the ship). Now if the crew does not carefully clean them off, they quickly spread and become powerful enough to even sink a mighty ship.
In life, there are many unwanted things which can so easily hook on to us, and most of the time, we are unaware of it. If we are not careful to constantly keep a check on our habits and lifestyle, we will fall prey to the enemy.


The devil with his crafty plans will target us who are young, in this area of life – relationship with the opposite sex. Unless we are very careful and are always on our guard we will fall.



As TobyMac in his song IRENE says, “please be aware of snakes, they come in all shapes and sizes to tempt you”, be very careful, “gentle as a dove and shrewd as a serpent “and watch and pray that you might not fall into temptation.


You need to take steps to I want you to keep the following as “Non-Negotiables”, meaning to say that at any cost, you should not compromise. Remember Daniel and his friends did not compromise even to the point of death and they were rewarded.


Non-Negotiables: (You can add to this list after consulting your parents/elders)

•  Never have just one person to whom you constantly associate. Make sure you do not do special favors for a single individual. 
• Do not touch or allow being touched! Always keep safe distance.
•  Avoid phone calls and text messages unless and until it’s very important. Share with your parents/mentors about all your friends.
•  Never be in a place or go out with the person of the opposite sex alone; be it elder or younger. 
• At any cost do not confide or share personal issues with the person from the opposite sex. 

• Riding along in a bike or travelling in a car alone with a person of the opposite sex is a strict NO! NO! However urgent the situation might be. When in doubt, if talking to someone is right or wrong, always ask your parents or mentors. Never assume. They always have better experience than us even if we feel they are old-fashioned.
• It is good to                                                                                     - Have a mentor (someone senior whom you can trust) e.g. Moses & Joshua
  - Be a mentor for someone younger than you are e.g. Paul & Timothy
  - Have a peer to whom you will be able to share with and will keep things confidential e.g. Paul and Barnabas
  NOTE: The other person involved in all these cases should be from the same sex. 

Unless we have a set of principles and convictions for our life we will sink for sure. The danger is that even before we realize we are sinking, we would have sunk to good depth.
 Because,
It’s a slow fade…


Be careful little eyes what you see It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings Be careful little feet where you go For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
Be careful little ears what you hear When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near Be careful little lips what you say For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray


It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid 
When you give yourself away People never crumble in a day 
The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking 





Just as Daniel resolved not to defile himself with something as ordinary as food, I would encourage you too to take small but firm decisions which will please and honor God.


Remember,
when you take one small step towards honoring God He will take a hundred to honor you.
It is my earnest prayer that God will help you even as you take a decision to honor him.


“The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth,
to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him”