But, still,
the temptations are there and each person struggles with the decision to sow
their own wild oats at some point in their life. Most people think that, that
is part of what being a normal teenager is. However, that is wrong thinking! It
does not have to be that way. In fact, it should not be. Consider a parable
related by Jesus who, by the way, knew what it was like to be a teenager
Himself. He told of a father who had two sons. One of his sons sowed his wild oats by wanting to
seek and experience all the extremes life had to offer, living his life abandon
from his upbringing and far from his family and home. But when the fun came to
an end, this prodigal son came to feel himself, abandon from those that he had
sacrificed his future to party with and enjoy his sin for a season. At one point he had reached such a lowly
state that upon his getting the only work that he could find, in tending pigs,
he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, if
only he were allowed to do so. You see, the party was over for him, and his
life was miserable according to Luke 15:11-32.
No matter how
attractive the idea of, “experiencing real life” may seem for a while, those
experiences bring permanent consequences in our lives. They are the
unproductive, fruitless and barren crops, that spring up from what we have
sown. The Bible puts it very simply: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;
for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” Galatians 6:7. The reality is that there is no free pass
when it comes to the cause and effect of sin that we have purposely sown in our
lives. King Solomon had a great understanding of this truth and knew from his
own experience with sin as he wrote, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and
let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your
heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will
bring you into judgment” Ecclesiastes 11:9. Even in our youth, the actions we
choose will affect us for the rest of our lives. Teens and young adult years
alike, are filled with potentially life changing decisions, so even while we
are young, we should be wise as serpents and gentle as a dove in how we respond
to them according to Matthew 10:16.
A great
example of this is when young people become involved in having sex or drinking
alcohol which many may consider a normal rite of passage for them; they are
taking a closer step toward injury or even death that would not have occurred
if they had not opted to take that first drink or put themselves into a
situation where they would be forced to decide whether to have sex or not.
Motor vehicle crashes are often caused or worsened by alcohol consumption and
are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. But even if they
forgo injury to themselves physically, they should consider the impact and
witness that their misconduct or drinking will have on their friends, family
and their own children as when the times comes for them to marry and establish
their own families. Sexual encounters may seem to be harmless especially as it
is plastered all over the television and magazines as it is presented as every human’s right and
is certainly common among today’s teens as well as unmarried adults. However,
it does not make it right. Millions of cases of sexually transmitted diseases
is contracted each year and is a direct result of unprotected sex between two
people that did not give any thought to the repercussions of what they were
doing. One report states that, nearly half of the 19 million new STDs each year
are among young people aged 15–24 years. Other statistics point out that, each
year, one in four U.S. teens contracts an STD or other sexually transmitted
infection, and that by 2025 as many as 40 percent of all men and half of all
women could be carrying one or more STDs.
How did our
culture come to this point? It happened because society now accepts intimate
sexual contact between guys and girls no matter the age or the consequences
that having sex may bring them. By removing standards that define appropriate
contact and what is right and what is wrong no longer matters to many people.
By winking at the sowing wild oats attitude, while it may appear or seem to be
fun at the time, always brings some form of heartache and regret that can last
a lifetime. God’s Word may appear to be
a book of rules and guidelines for some people and while they may overlook them
and not care much for them, they will answer for them either in this life or
the next. The wisest of all men King
Solomon wrote, “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake
the law of your mother, for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and
chains about your neck” Proverbs 1:8 -9.
As Solomon
wrote, “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and
right” Proverbs 20:11. Make sure that the seeds you sow are godly ones that
will produce good crops of fruit in your life without regrets. Even if you have
sown a few wild oats in your past, you can turn your life around at any point.
It is never too late to start doing the right thing and remember that the devil
means to use your wrong choices to destroy your happiness and bring you to
ruin. But God can restore those wrong choices over time as you surrender your
life to Him. Please listen sweet friend and accept wise council!
Loving on you
today sweet friend,
Bren
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