WHICH FROG ARE YOU?

Thou shall not lie
Thou shall not steal
Thou shall not kill
Exo 20

by Robin

We're getting wrapped up in a society where people game, Facebook, MySpace Twitter, blog, email while walking around city streets, and can call you from just about anywhere in the world on a iPHONE. We're losing our ability to have face-to-face relationships with people. We're missing special bonds that folks used to have when they sat out on their front porches and talked with their neighbors.

But, I think our love for instant communication via technology had made us start fibbing more. What? Follow me..... It is definitely easy to lie over an email. Easy to lie, even while linking, to create a blog. People lie regularly, even while reading a teleprompter.

So, I was thinking of that Veggie Tale movie the other day about the Fib. Remember it was little and then it grew as the character had to lie more to cover it up? Pretty soon, it became a Giant-sized Fib. I feel like Veggie Fibs are all around me. For example, years ago, I invited a friend over for lunch. She ended calling me minutes before she was suppose to show saying she had to run into the shower first and would be late. She was over an hour late and my lunch..... well, almost was ruined. Little did she know that I had seen her online a good while all morning. It hurt my feelings.

Anyhow, my point is that our fibs grow to bigger fibs (hey, let's just start calling them lies at this point) and eventually, if your heart grow callous to lying, you're apt to do other sins. Shoplifting is a huge problem in our modern-day society. And what is worse than stealing is the fact that many folks try to lie about it on top of that. If it weren't for security cameras, we'd never know the truth in many cases. I don't know about you, but I enjoy COPS for the sole purpose of seeing how ridiculous people get trying to lie about their obvious offenses.

And so the fib grows bigger and heart grows even more callous to where there is no remorse. Lying and stealing are petty events at the point. I knew that eventually, we'd get to where murderers would become callous to taking another's life. I'm not talking serial killers here. I'm talking about everyday folks. Your friends. Your spouses. Your nannies. Your grocery store clerks.

I heard a 911 call today of a boy who was calling for an ambulance for his friend who was shot. The 911 operator asked him how did it happen. The boy said, "I don't know, I just got here." The truth was later found out that he accidentally killed her after emptying the magazine out of a gun and one bullet was left in the chamber. He aimed, fired it and she died. A young teenage girl. But his voice........ he didn't stumble, stall or search for words. His lie rolled right off his tongue with ease & conviction.

In Australia this week, there was an appeal to the court system because of public outcry when a murderer got a 4 year sentence and only has to serve one year of it. This man watched his wife struggle and eventually die on the ocean floor and did nothing to help her out. And if that wasn't sick enough, he took a picture of her dead body on the ocean floor. When did we become so desensitized to death that a murderer only gets a year for taking another's life?

How about the couple in Pensacola where the husband and wife were gunned down, military-style in their own home. A group of suspects all knew these were great humanitarian folks, adopting 13 children with serious special needs, plus 4 bio kids of their own. What type of callous person(s) can do that? And for what? A safe filled with some kid medications, family documents and a little bit of jewelry. Really..... the lie these folks led, as they plotted to kill the folks they knew, all to steal something from them, to where murderering them WAS the plan.

Where did all the consciences go? Where is reason? Where is common decency? Where is even the criminal's code of ethics? C'mon - They are survived by SEVENTEEN children who are now orphaned!!!

Some wise Christians said, "If you will lie, you'll do anything." That seemed like an overstatement until I reasoned all that out. If you can densensitize yourself to one sin, then you'll eventually do it to more and more until it no longer seems wrong. This is why lying is a worse punishment in our household than any accident or behavior issue punishment.

Think of it this other way. If you put a frog into a pot of boiling water (hypothetically ONLY), he would try to climb out of the pot. BUT, if you put a frog in a tempid pot and turn up the heat slowly, he'll stay there until he is boiled. He doesn't realize he is in danger if he acclimates to the each change.

People, put down the technology and go take a meal to a sick friend. Go build relationships with new neighbor. Try being the real you, not the "you" who is hungry for the most comments. Not the "you" who needs to be "friends" with everybody on facebook. Not the "you" who can deal a verbal attack and then not have to face the person you just upset. Quit living in technology. Put down the Wii, joysticks, Blackberries and Nintendos. Start living in the real world. The real world where you have accountabilty and manners. People are 3-D with feelings and lives, not Sims characters. There is no RESTART button in real life. GAME OVER has with real tears & grief.

If this post speaks to you and your ready to change, ask Jesus to forgive you for what you've already done. Ask Him to lead your life in a new direction. Acknowledge that He went before you, on the cross, and died for your sin penalties. Now, you want to live a new life, with Him. If you're serious in your petition to Him, He will forgive you and give you salvation. He can give you new life and an abundant one at that.

Which frog are you? The one who wants OUT of the pot of boiling water or the one who will stay IN it and die.

Have a blessed Sunday!
Robin