In my high school days, drugs and violence wasn’t what got students into trouble. Simply not standing in line or talking instead of listening to the teacher could get you sent to the principal’s office.
The “board of education” came with little tolerance.
I learned this first-hand from the coach’s hardwood paddle when my socks disappeared from my gym locker. Yep, I got licks for that.
I was once called to the principal’s office.
As my name was announced over the loud speakers, I felt like I had been handcuffed and sent to prison. What had I done that was so terribly bad? Answer: in the library, I picked up a one-inch paper airplane and threw it back to the person who had thrown it at me—just as a teacher walked in.
I had not acted alone. The other criminals joined me to face the principal, who were the student council president and the valedictorian of my class. Fortunately, we got off with a warning, but I was pretty sure I’d get jail time if I ever did anything like that again.
Today, the Ten Commandments no longer hangs in the school hallway.
Our family standards depicted on television has moved from shows like “Father Knows Best,” “My Three Sons,” and “Leave It to Beaver” to “Sex in the City,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Big Bang Theory.” It gets worse from there.
Has the world fallen apart?
This time, I’ll say, “No. It has already fallen.”
I find it interesting that some of the so-called prophets who had been predicting doom are now predicting revival. Maybe so, but from what I see, the hearts of a majority of people is “desperately wicked” and not willing to turn to God, no matter how bad conditions get.
Should we be worried?
Not if we know the Lord. Those who are looking to the government or to their insurance policies are seeking security where it can’t be found.
I do my best not to be worried. Why? My concern for anything I can’t change steals energy from my doing what God wants in my life.
Our struggle is not with people but with the forces that influence our desires. We are pressured by spiritual wickedness in high places of authority—social prejudices, government leaders who tell people what they want to hear, and the media that filters, distorts, and spins the “truth” to suit their agendas. — Ephesians 6:12, Frank Ball paraphrase