SOMETIMES WE NEED TO STEP BACK
The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray» (Proverbs 12:26).
IT WAS JUNE 2015 when I received a most unusual message. It said the following: «Hi, Teacher. I am one of your former students, from more than seventeen years ago. I had special needs. You gave me classes in Social Studies and Civics, and I did very poorly. Do you remember me?”
Yes, I remembered him. He was an introvert who was slightly disabled. He requested me as a contact on Facebook and whatsApp, and I accepted with the sole purpose of winning him for Jesus. Tie first messages we exchanged were nice, until this one arrived: «Teacher, I have been an addict to pornography since I was fifteen years old. I spend everything I have on prostitutes. I am with a different woman every day. I would like to leave this addiction, but I cannot.»
We chatted on the topic for a long time and I got a pastor to go and visit him every Sunday. As for me, I sent him messages with Bible verses and advice, wishing he would soon be able to leave his addiction behind. However, one day, he wrote to me: «What I want is to be your friend but to continue sinning, because I like this sin a lot.»
The message did not end there, but you can imagine the rest. His words got more and more heated and the problem was getting greater. With pain in my heart, I had to ask him to keep his distance from me. the messages got more complicated. He accused me of being sanctimonious, of not wanting to be with sinners. At the same time, he repeated, «I will continue sinning deliberately. Hahaha.» They were grotesque and terrible words that led me to cut off that absurd communication completely.
It is very clear to me that we, as Christians, have to serve as guides for our fellow humans; that is biblical, that is good, and it is a high and noble calling. However, in our relationship with those who live far from the principles and values of the gospel, we cannot allow ourselves to be confused to such a point that the path of the wicked drags us down, as well. Our number one priority is our own relationship with God; that is the most sacred thing. It would be useless if, to guide our neighbor, we ourselves fell into the behaviors of the wicked.
«God inspires us to service, but always in respect and obedience to the values of the gospel Let us ask Him to help us to know how to recognize the dangers».
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2020
«One Day at a Time»
From: Patricia Muñoz Bertozzi
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Alejandra Zavala