I decided last August to read through the Bible in 90 days. It was a little trying at times but I accomplished that goal and surprisingly found myself deeply immersed in the Old Testament readings. I just couldn’t get enough of it, particularly the book of Daniel. The stories of God’s sovereignty and the faith of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego really captivated my attention.
Yesterday, I read through chapters 1 through 5 again. This time, however, I became particularly compelled with King Nebuchadnezzar and his end of the story…. How many times did God try to get his attention? How many times did Daniel reach out to him? He just didn’t get it! He couldn’t see that the hand of God was at work in his life. Because he couldn’t acknowledge that, God didn’t intend for him to fall and fail, but that was the natural result of his choices.
I think the same is true for us today. God doesn’t intend for us to fall or fail. He is not out to curse us. I think most people believe that. They can reason that God is about love. What most people can’t understand is that eventually, if we fail to choose God and His plan enough, eventually we are going to fall, fail, and make mistakes. Eventually our own choices are going to lead us to an end that is not what we would desire. God doesn’t put us there; we allow ourselves to get to that place.
I moved to New York from South Carolina 3 years ago and it pains me to see where Mark Sanford is now. His story and Nebuchadnezzar’s story just made me think a little bit about God’s calling on my life and the calling He has placed on our teens. He wants us to follow, trust, and obey Him, but how often do we fail to do so? Maybe it’s in small things, but eventually enough is enough! We will end up in places that are not what we desire.
Do you feel like you need more accountability in any area of your life? Do you feel like you have stressed the importance of accountability with your teens? Just a few thoughts to hopefully avoid potential downfall.