Quit judging my friends!
EVERYONE else is doing it! I’ll go to the party, I just won’t participate if there are bad choices being made. Who am I supposed to “hang out” with? It’s only a matter of time until we are all exposed to alcohol and drugs. Quit judging my friends!
Dear young adults, It DOES matter WHO you hang out with. It DOES matter that you don’t go places where bad choices are being made. If you are NOT joining them, you enjoy guilt by association. Party is busted. You are there. You are guilty or spend time, money and heartache proving you weren’t involved. It ONLY takes once. FIND DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO HANG WITH! There ARE young adults making good choices. Ask an addict how they got that way? I’m sure they would encourage you to take the road less traveled.
It’s not going to happen to ME! Wrong. It’s simply WHEN, it happens to you. EVERY decision you make affects other people. People you care about, that care back. People you don’t want to hurt, get hurt. There is a bigger picture your parents can see, that you may not. They work hard in love and careers. Trust them when they say “it will cost you.”
Each time I am on a college campus, there are students standing ON the curb, waiting to cross. We all know that no one takes a corner to close or jumps a curb, right? People cross the street anywhere they please. Students walking and talking on cell phones, eyes toward the ground. Recently, I witnessed an SUV drive right up onto and thru the walking path of a campus. That same night there were two cars turning into an intersection with a student in the middle of the crosswalk. It was dark. The cars didn’t slow down. The student stopped, stunned as they whizzed by him. Did you know that IF you cross the street NOT in a cross walk and get hit by a car, it’s YOUR fault? I know, it’s NOT going to happen to you…
As sinners, we desire to see God’s protection as a force that keeps us from all harm. We live in a fallen world where free will is – well, free. Sometimes God’s protection comes as peace or strength in loss and despair. Maybe God’s protection requires an end because He knows things that WE could not comprehend. As a follower of Christ, we are promised a life in which nothing can separate us from His love. Losing a child leaves a parent facing the unimaginable. It is NEVER expected. In EVERY hardship we face, God is with us. Turn to Him in prayer and He will give you peace.
In case you missed it, I’m serious. Be careful. Make good choices. Your family loves you and so do I.
MamaC
Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Proverbs 2:11
Photo: Thank you for the beautiful, unexpected fall pic – Jill Heupel Photography!
