Proverbs 13:21-22
We all know people who seem to always be in
trouble. It often begins very young in life. They don’t seem to understand the
rules, or they choose to ignore them. The amount of trouble compounds over time
until it overwhelms them.
We often nickname them “train wrecks waiting
to happen.” Other people see it clearly, often warning them, but they don’t
listen. Even as the wreck begins to happen, they ignore the inevitable. Trouble
really does pursue them.
They are not the only ones affected by their
choices. The results are often passed along from generation to generation. I
see this clearly in certain segments of our society where the men are simply
not involved in the lives of their children. They are there for conception, but
after that they are gone, leaving the woman to raise the children. Generations
have followed this pattern of male absence.
So what happens when young men don’t have
responsible men influencing their lives? They end up being influenced by a
culture that is created for them and sold to them by the entertainment industry.
And the entertainment industry is about profit, so it wants to perpetuate their
audience. They don’t want to create good human beings, they just want more customers.
They don’t really care about the consequences of their products. They just want
their bottom line to go up.
We saw this recently with the anti-gun
debate. The Hollywood stars made a commercial demanding the politicians did
something about gun violence. These were the same stars who made their millions
by portraying violence with guns in their movies.
I want to leave a positive legacy for my
children’s children. It may not be monetary wealth, but there will be wealth
passed along. My investment portfolio is expansive in love and caring, but a
bit thin in the money.
What do outsiders think of your life? Are
you a train wreck getting ready to happen?