“Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this age”
A couple years ago I was driving down route 30 and I saw an advertisement that pictured a middle aged woman partying, apparently having a “good” time. The billboard was advertising cosmetic surgery. The tag line across the top read, “Youth, Waste it Again.” What this billboard seemed to be
communicating was that the best way to spend one’s years of youth was by partying them away, soaking up the pleasures of the world while you are young. In other words, save the serious things of life for later. And then when you are all grown up and tired of being serious go get cosmetic surgery so that you can experience those wasteful years all over again, grabbing up as much “pleasure” as possible.
There are so many things wrong with this line of thinking it is hard to know where to start. Can you pick up on the lies that are told by this advertisement? Is partying your youth away the best that this world has to offer? Will the sinful pleasures of this world really satisfy you and bring you deep, rich, and abiding fulfillment in life? I won’t deny that there is some pleasure in these worldly youthful pursuits, but I want to ask you what I hope are two thought provoking questions. If we give our mind, heart, and soul to these pleasures for our youthful years do we really think that having become enslaved and engrossed in them that all of a sudden in adulthood we will see clearly enough to pull out of these patterns? Do we really think that these youthful pursuits are consequence free?
Think about it...
Do not be fooled into thinking that the decisions you make today, this week, this year are not creating lifelong patterns, habits, and ways of thinking. To these patterns and habits and ways of thinking you will be committed. It will be terribly difficult, if not impossible, to leave them behind later in life. Additionally, the consequences, the pain, the destruction to your mind, body, and soul will most definitely remain...
