First of all, today is hard for a lot of people. September 11th will always be a memory that we can’t gloss over – nor should we.
Fifteen years ago today was a tragedy. It is hard to wake up and not think about that tragedy.
I can still see that morning perfectly.
Maybe this seems random coming from me but I didn’t want to write without at least acknowledging it.
I’m not going to spend this morning trying to make some comparison between the destruction of 9/11 and the havoc that pornography can wreak on a person’s life because the two are simply incomparable – apples and oranges – and frankly, a life is more valuable than that.
But I will say this before moving on (as today has seemed to trigger a vast array of painful memories and forced me to consider them in light of what we’re gearing up for next week):
We really have dealt with a lot of tragedy at XXXchurch.
We started this thing just a year after that disaster, in 2002. And our world – daily – has dealt with a lot of tragedy because of the way that pornography and sexual addiction really does destroy life.
[shortcode-variables slug=”mypilgrimage-inline”]I don’t know how much time you spend on social media but it seems like every time I open up the news app on my phone or scroll through my Twitter feed, I read about some high-profile celebrity whose life was derailed by addiction (or, you know, you name it – clickbait thrives off of the moral failing of others).
Jared from Subway.
Josh Duggar.
Tiger Woods.
None of these guys ever start off thinking they’re going to go to jail, lose their families or end their careers.
Nobody does.
But we’ve been talking a lot about different journeys. Chances are, poor decisions have taken us all down roads we wish we hadn’t explored. It’s why we’re here, working on a new one.
Here’s one of my favorite examples of this idea from one of the greatest authors the world has ever known – C.S. Lewis:
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
We’re good at justifying ourselves, but even the smallest bad decisions, stacked up on top of one another, can lead to tragedy.
It’s time to take control so you don’t wind up like Jared, Josh or Tiger. None of us are above it.
On September 13th, I’d invite you to do just that. Learn why you make the choices you do; train yourself to make healthier ones.
I truly believe we can help one another change the trajectory that our small, stacking decisions are taking us. Let’s push for compounding good.
[shortcode-variables slug=”my-pilgrimage-bottom”]