Building a Wall
Yogi Berra was the legendary baseball player and coach for the New York Yankees. He coined some quirky sayings like, “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical;” “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded;” and “If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up someplace else.” The last of those comical quotes has a deeper meaning which we can apply to the daily struggles we face.
As teenagers living in this world bombarded by sin and temptation, it is important to know where we stand, and where we shouldn’t stand. We need to know ourselves and know how to keep ourselves from falling. Temptation is everywhere you go. It comes from your friends, the computer, the movies you watch, music you listen to, TV, and even that pretty girl you met last Saturday; there is no escaping it. Everyone needs to think through whether these “innocent” pastimes are drawing us away from God or closer to Him. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good movie and some good music, but there are some songs or movies that I, as a Christian, cannot listen to or watch. They drag me down in my relationship with Christ and put temptation right in front of me.
Timothy was one of the younger characters in the New Testament, and like all of us, was human and struggled with temptation. Paul, his mentor, gave him the best advice anyone can give regarding temptation, as we read in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness. (NKJV)” He admonished Timothy to run from temptation, because, after all, we are only human.
Whatever you are struggling with, try to stay as far away from it as possible, or it will distract you from your end destination. Try to build a brick wall between it and you, or it will build a wall between you and your Creator, Jesus Christ.
By Thomas Leng, Teen Writer – Appeared in the Spring 2009 Issue of G4T Ink
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