When Doug and I were first married and gas was cheap, we traveled one evening to Huron, SD to look at a car with some friends. We traveled over 300 miles round-trip and sat in a vehicle for over 5 hours. While the drive together was fun, the car was a lemon and we drove home empty handed. Since that time, whenever we have considered traveling somewhere and I share my concerns that maybe the destination is too far to go, Doug’s comment is usually, “We’ve driven a lot farther for a lot less”.
This phrase has been echoing in my mind recently as I was planning a trip to our son Dalton’s graduation from military training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It is a twenty four hour round-trip for the purpose of witnessing a twenty minute graduation ceremony. Over 1,500 miles were traveled on the interstates and highways of MN, IA, NE, KA and OK. Definitely a long way to go, but “too far”? For this mom—it was worth every long mile in the car!
Which has got me thinking… how far is “too far”? Is “too far” a regulated rule or a personal choice? Consider these scenarios that have been popping into my head as I write this article. In order to save 10 cents on a gallon of gas… how far is too far? For your child to be part of a sports team… how far is too far? To maintain employment… how far is too far? To enjoy a vacation… how far is too far? I would say that for these examples, it is a personal choice and there are many things that factor into the decision. While one person wouldn’t drive across town to save money on gas, others might drive to Rock Rapids or Sioux Falls to get a cheaper tank full. And while some would prefer a vacation at home, some are enticed to travel to other countries.
But how about some other scenarios. For the teenage boy and girl in the back seat of a car… how far is too far? For the football superstar disciplining his son… how far is too far? For a tax-payer trying to manipulate the bottom line… how far is too far? For many decisions we like to claim that there are gray areas until we realize that we have indeed gone too far, the devil has come knocking, and we have fallen victim to the thought that we can play with sin. I am reminded of the phrase “Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay.”
In Genesis chapter 4, I sense Cain playing in the gray area of what would be a good enough offering to bring to the Lord. When the Lord was not pleased with his decision, Cain became angry. The Lord spoke to him and said, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Isn’t that the way it is for all of us? Sin follows us around like a shadow, hiding around the corner, and crouching at our door. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” And while most of us would not be so stupid as to jump into a cage with a lion on the hunt, we think nothing of toying with the tools of the devil and become angry when we get caught or suffer the consequences of that sin.
But thankfully, regardless of how far sin has taken you or what it has cost you, we are given a promise in 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Praise the Lord that we can never go too far to be out of the reach of our merciful Savior.
Erin Jacobsma