There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. {Proverbs 14:12 NAS}
There I was again: sitting next to my younger brother in between our parents on a wooden pew in a small country church. That is: at least that is what I was imagining when I listened unto that sermon.
Well, almost. For I do not recall hearing any sermons about the evils of dating, nor the virtues of arranged marriages in my younger years; but the countless sermons upon the evils of dancing that I was subjected unto most definitely came from the same source.
No, I was not raised in some weird cult. For that country church was a proud member in good standing of the
Southern Baptist Convention; and it was not the only one in the area where such a sermon could be heard at the time.
In fact: dancing was considered as being a detriment unto society by many in the area—especially unto youth; and it was not until around 1980 before the Senior Prom was allowed to be held on school property by the good Christian people on the school board of the
Cassville R-IV School District. My own Senior Prom was held in the local
American Legion Hall in 1976; and it took several more years before
Purdy High School was allowed to hold their Senior Proms on school property.
Just in case you are having trouble connecting their dots: dancing invariably leads unto sex, with drug and alcohol abuse often being involved (but not necessarily required); and I must admit that they do have a point. That is: at least unto a certain extent. For in my own case: dancing has always been like a mating ritual unto me.
Not everyone is as sexually depraved as I naturally am, however. Proof of this could be seen on the faces of many a fair young maiden that I mistook for honky tonk angels all across this land during my drinking days.
On the other hand: many are just as depraved. Some are even much worse; and if this is not enough motivation to lock your daughters away in basements until they are too old to [
two-step]: I don’t know what would be. For who in their right-mind would want a lecherous degenerate like I was anywhere near the apple(s) of their eye???
The operative word of that last question being: “was”. For our Heavenly Father delivered me out of that way of life; and He has revealed unto me that every step that we take is in order to accomplish His purposes
{1}.
Hence: the part that was left out of all of those sermons about the evils of dancing; and the same thing is being left out of that sermon about the evils of dating. For our Heavenly Father really is in full control of all that happens
{2}; and He always provides a means of escape from everything truly harmful
{3}.
No, there is nothing wrong with a parent wanting to protect their children from harm; but it is the work of the devil to get us to take things too far
{4}. For the more we seek to focus our attention upon what we think are our own responsibilities: the less we can truly have faith in the One who truly is fully responsible for the circumstances of our lives
{5}; and I stand as a witness unto the pain that can come from this
{6}.
Yes, I am quite sure that many will think that what I have been given to say about this is about the most ridiculous thing that they have ever heard; and in all fairness: I cannot naturally blame them a bit. For I felt the same way about such things before I was allowed and enabled to truly hear
{7}:
This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”{8}
{1}Romans 8:28-30;
{2}Proverbs 16:33;
{3}1 Corinthians 10:13;
{4}John 10:10;
{5}Proverbs 19:21;
{6}Hosea 4:1-14;
{7}1 Corinthians 2:14;
{8}Jeremiah 17:5-7 NIV.
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