What's Your Next Step?

I remember one holiday sitting in the living room chatting with my in-laws, when the subject of high school reunions and old classmates came up. In the course of our conversation, my brother-in-law started laughing when he proceeded to tell us a story about one of his classmates who had found him on Facebook, and as a result they started talking about their lives, and so on and so forth. It just happened my wife remembered this classmate too.

Well, in any event, my brother-in-law went on to tell us the story of his former classmate who by day was a successful businessman; but, by night, he was a successful entertainer – now, not just any ordinary entertainer, but a cross-dressing entertainer at a local establishment in downtown Minneapolis. Of course, my brother-in-law and my wife just couldn’t hold in the laughter.

Although he was living a double life, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with his lifestyle and morality so to speak. Certainly, I don’t agree with his lifestyle or his morality – but I bet he believes that his ethic is clear and it fits within the parameters of the community in which he associates…. But then again, does it?

At the present, I don’t know any actual cross-dressers, or people who blatantly live double lives. I think it is safe to say that many people who live double lives are more hidden about it. I think it is fair to say that many people who do things – things that others probably deem as inappropriate, unethical, and immoral, or that goes against the grain of cultural norms and society – do so in private where nobody can see.

I know I have been guilty of this before in my lifetime, I think most people have been. I can think back to the not so far distant past when I use to smoke cigarettes; and to be truthful, I was ashamed of my behavior. Now sure, smoking isn’t illegal – but just because something isn’t illegal doesn’t make it justifiable, right, ethical or moral – even if it has some form of public acceptance (or at least it use to). Anyway, I was a closet smoker – I use to act one way around my Christian friends and church associates, and another at home and at work. See, I smoked at home and while at work, but on Sunday mornings I would do my best to make sure that my clothes, breathe, hair and skin didn’t smell of tobacco. I would do all that I could do to hide my tobacco addiction.

Many of us here today may be leading lives of conflicting morality, lives of duality with an inconsistent ethic. Many of us say one thing, and do another. It is like we don’t know which way to walk. It is like many of us are standing at the crosswalk of life, and instead of waiting for the green light to give us the go-ahead and to take the next step in life, we try to cross the busy and dangerous roads of life when the light before us is still red. For those of us old enough to remember the video game Frogger – many of us are acting like frogs – taking the wrong steps in life – and if we’re not careful we may get creamed by the oncoming traffic. Some of you right now maybe saying – ouch – I think he’s talking to me –I’m that frog. Some of your right now might be getting a bit offended, and if you are please bear with me, and tune in…. because the aggravation toward me you might be feeling right now should tell you something – It should tell you to perk your ears up and listen up.

However, this is a message I believe we all need to hear and pay close attention to, because there are many out-there within the ranks of our culture, society, and yes even here within the walls of our church that metaphorically speaking are those frogs who are taking the wrong moral steps in life. So, how about we start making sense of all this and flush this thing out?

We live in a society that says there is no moral absolute – that there is no moral truth. We live in a society that says there is nothing wrong with being that frog that tries to cross the dangerous moral roads of life. We live in a culture that says do what you want to do. Our media, political system, almost all of life is inundated with messages telling you that you can do anything, be anything, and act in any way you wish, with little regard for the consequences. Just think of the all the company slogans – Burger King has said for years– “Have it your way” – and now we believe it – just look at all the people being playing a real-life game of moral Frogger.