A Way Out

Imagine a small child has come to you for help.   He is elementary-aged with a timid and sweet personality.  He puts on a brave face and shares with you how terrifying his daily walk home from school can be.

“Things start out okay.  I put on my backpack and tell myself I will make it home safe and fast.”

He looks up to you for reassurance and when it’s offered, he continues.

“And then I start walking away from the schoolyard.  I usually make it to the first bend in the road with no problem, but then things get a whole lot scary.”

He shivers and you comfort him with a pat to his shoulder.

“So I stand at this bend in the road and I know I’m supposed to take the path to my right.  It’s the fastest way home and there are pretty apple trees and singing birds.  But it’s here that Jimmy and Jason from class show up.  They always play in the woods until they see me coming.  They aren’t mean to me exactly, but they make fun of me for wanting to walk through the apple field.  So I give in and go their way and we laugh and kick rocks until we get to their house. Then they go inside, and now I’m left to walk the rest of the way home alone.  But by then it’s late and when it’s wintertime, it’s already a little bit dark so it’s especially scary.  A few times I’ve gotten so scared that I’m crying by the time I see my house.  I try to be brave, but I’m not very good at it.  And every time I think about walking home, my tummy hurts.  I don’t even want to go to school anymore.”

What advice would you give him?

Most likely, you would tell him to plan a way out of the situation.  Together, you might come up with a few escape routes.  He could wait at school a few extra minutes until the other boys are sure to have passed the bend in the road.  He could walk a little faster or ask to be the first one in line to leave so he could be out of sight before the other boys arrive.  He could tell them that his parents demanded he walk the shorter route, that he was in a hurry to get home, or simply the truth: he no longer wants to walk that road.  No matter what option this little guy chooses, it’s not going to work unless he comes up with a plan and has the courage and perseverance to follow through with that plan each day.

This advice we are thinking of can help us too.  There are moments in our day when we are faced with choices that are difficult to make.  We all have temptations.  No one is above that.  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (James 1:14-15).  Not only do we have personal temptations, but most of us have family, friends, or acquaintances who may, at times, push or pull us in directions that might not be in our best interest.  Anytime an activity does not line up with a lifestyle that honors our Creator, we need to make plans for “a way out”.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God gives us escape routes, but it’s up to us to plan for them, put them into action, and follow through day after day.

Today’s Challenge:  Yesterday, you thought specifically about your own temptations.   You looked up verses that applied to those areas.  Today, you’ll work on a plan to mentally and physically prepare for the right response when this temptation shows up for you again.  If you haven’t yet, you may want to write down those areas that you struggle with the most.  Pray over this list.  Ask God to help you think of a reasonable way out of each situation.  Practice your response.  If it requires you to tell someone no, practice precisely what you will say.  Write that out as well and practice vocally, if necessary.  Be completely prepared to take the right path the next time the bend in the road is set before you.