It was a Friday night and Karen was deeply troubled. She felt as if her character had been tested in a dozen small ways throughout the week, and her conscience was telling her that she had not done well. Karen knew herself to be a good, honest person who believed in right and wrong and generally sought to do the right thing in every situation. Her desire to live a pure life was founded on a genuine love for the Lord, and a desire to be a Godly wife and mother to her children.

The week had started off on a positive note. She and her husband, Michael, had both been able to take off a few days from work so that they could spend time with their two children, Matt and Drew, during their summer vacation. Monday they had decided to take the boys to a G-rated movie. While buying the movie tickets, the teenager at the ticket counter had heavily implied that if they would just say that Drew was two years old rather than four, he would get in with no charge. After some heavy coaxing, they finally agreed that Drew was indeed two. Karen felt guilty about it immediately, but she told herself that she had given Drew's correct age twice before finally conceding to the free ticket.

Upon entering the lobby, Matt, Karen’s older son, asked when he could have his candy bar from her purse. She quickly whispered that he shouldn’t ask again until they got into the theatre because people weren’t really allowed to bring food into the theatre. Karen's son had asked, "Then why are we breaking their rules?" As Karen cringed, she quickly shushed him and whisked him into the movie theatre – making a mental note to apologize to her son later.

The next day, the boys had asked to go swimming with their aunt and cousins who belonged to a "members-only" pool. Upon arriving at the pool, Karen realized that she had left her money at home and didn't have cash to pay the visitor's fee. Though Karen felt sneaky doing it, she agreed with her sister's suggestion to sign in as another member rather than going to an ATM to get money. The boys had not seen this indiscretion, so it was a little easier for Karen to agree to the scheme. Apparently it was a common practice.

Now on this Friday night, Karen sat disheartened by what Michael had just told her. Michael had invited a colleague from work to go to a "guy flick" with several friends from their Life Group at church. His colleague was not a Christian, but he was a good man and had recently been asking Michael questions about what it meant to be a Christian. When they approached the theatre, Michael had introduced his friend to the group and was pleased to see how well his friend was received. At that point, the individual who had ordered everyone's ticket on-line began passing them around the group. He commented on what a deal he had gotten by simply clicking on the senior citizens price. Since the ticket people never look at the tickets, it really shouldn't be a problem.

The group all snickered and commented on how much money he had saved them all. Michael's stomach dropped when he saw the expression on his friend’s face and he heard him utter a simple, "Hmm." Michael’s friend had been a last-minute invitee, so he had not received a ticket. As Michael knew he would, he heard his friend pay for a full-price, adult ticket as he stepped up to the window. Michael wondered what he should have done in that moment, and what he should say when he returned to work on Monday.

What troubled Karen most of all was the fact that so many of these small indiscretions had occurred in the company of their Christian friends, and even in front of their children. Karen had a strong feeling that none of these incidents bothering her would have happened while with their non-Christian acquaintances as they were both constantly aware of making a positive impression. So why had it been so easy to falter in the presence of their brothers, sisters, and even their own children? 


SCRIPTURAL POINTS OF LIGHT

Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Matthew 5:13-16, 16:21-23, 18:6-8; Luke 16:10; Romans 7:14-25; Romans 12, 13:1-7; Galatians 2:11; Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:17; Hebrews 10:24, 32-36; James 1:12-16, 4:17; I Peter 1:13-1; I John 3:4-10