World View Wednesday: Into the sewer

The world tell us that if we keep our children away from the world that they will be naive. They won't understand the world or be able to function in it. How will they know what things to avoid if we never show those things to them? How will they learn to deal with the world if they are never exposed to it? The world tells us that we are legalistic and judgemental.


I have often used the analogy of a sewer system. From across the street I can see the sewer. From where I am standing I know what is in the sewer. I can imagine that it is smelly and disgusting even though I have never smelt it nor looked down into it. God's word has told me to stay away from it and so I have. If I begin to move closer, I will begin to pick up on the smell. Just a little whiff of it. No harm done. At first the smell will bother me but after awhile, I won't notice the smell. I can move closer without sensing any real danger. Soon I will be standing on the edge of the sewer. It looks gross. A few drops of the sewer splash onto my shoe and I am appalled. I want to clean it off so I look around for a rag but there is nothing available. When I look into the sewer for a rag I begin to notice that there is a lot of interesting stuff going on down there. Soon I am in the sewer, completely covered in the slime but unaware because it is no longer disgusting to me.

No one has to be IN the sewer system to know what it is. God's word clearly tells us what is in the sewer. God's example is one of giving us just enough information to fully understand without leading us to sin the areas describes. God tells us everything we need to know.


Josh Harris gives another great analogy of the sewer system using a bean bag. Click the link to view! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1iWVBszV0