The Missing Plumb Line

Something struck me when I was at the Adobe Mountain Youth Detention Facility in Phoenix recently. It was the apparent lack of a "plumb line" early in the lives of the young men that were serving time there.

As Christians, our "plumb line" is the Bible. All people, worldwide need something to use as a gauge for excellence or error. These young men are serving time in this detention facility because they either didn't have or ignored the "plumb line" in their lives.

"Robert"
One young man, I will call "Robert" stood out to me. At 15 years old, he told me that all of his family had been or is currently in jail. Since he is a minor, his "error" in judgment got him sentenced to Adobe instead of adult jail or prison. I don't know how "Robert" ended up making his wrong decision but apparently no one in his immediate family had exercised good judgment either, so society "exercised" it for all of them.

There was another young man who had nearly completed his time and was soon to be released and re-enter society. He seemed genuinely concerned that once released, he would not be able to make the correct decisions that would keep him out of jail. You wonder how either "Robert" or this other young man had no foundation for their decisions. I think I have at least a partial answer.

Politically Correct
We live in an era when it is more important to be politically correct than to take a stand for actual moral correctness. Our schools, our politicians and even some Christian denominations are all "gray". Everything except gravity and for now, sports, is "gray". No one is allowed to win or lose... well almost no one.

We talk a good game with our fellow Believers but when it comes to diplomatically challenging unbiblical principles with our friends or the world, we fall short. We know that what we believe is counter-culture to our increasingly permissive society.

We are "told" that we are in the minority and we are shrinking. But what's worse is we are afraid to stand up for what is right based on God's Word, fearing that we might offend someone. We don't need to be offensive but we do need to take a moral stand.

Inch by inch, year by year, we move farther away from what is biblically correct, further into the gray. Are these changes a result of prayer being eliminated from our schools? I think so. I think it has contributed.

Applied Logic
I am really not sorry that I might offend someone by stating my views. Guess you might "offend" a child when you yell at him that the stove is hot and not touch it. After all, is it "our" responsibility? Is it obvious to anyone else that we have got to get our horse-sense back into all levels of this world including politics?

Politically correct or not, we have got to be confident and loving enough to share with the world that there really is a moral anchor available to mankind. Yes, it will probably limit their permissiveness but it is good overall for everyone.

Back To "Robert"
It seems that no one bothered to yell at "Robert" and warn him that the "stove would burn" him. Maybe his family didn't care. Maybe they didn't want to limit his "exploration and development" as a child or teenager. Maybe they were just complacent and wrapped up in their own bad decisions. Never-the-less, "Robert" is now locked up.

Now he spends his teenage days hearing the locks on steel doors controlling his every move. He could have been attending a high school football game, ordering a burger & fries at a fast food joint or being able to "text" his friends. He now hears the guards telling him when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat and when to take a shower, when to whatever...

It seems that "Robert" had nothing going for him as a child. He has little going for him as a teenager except that we all hope he learned a life lesson or a lesson that will change his life.

On a positive note, the Word is being "planted and watered" in him through a weekly Bible study that he is choosing to attend. The Word promises that it will grow fruit in anyone's life. It is still everyone's choice to spend time reading it and having a relationship with its author, our Heavenly Father by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For "Robert"... now he has an honest chance of succeeding.

"Robert" will finish serving his time. Because of the level of his crime and that he was a minor when he offended, he will get a fresh start at life. His family environment certainly does not guarantee his success "outside". Knowing some Bible verses doesn't ensure success but it does start to provide the "plumb line" he was missing earlier in his life.

Like all of us, in various ways, "Robert" has been given another chance. As Christians, our Heavenly Father forgives us and gives us another chance. For Unbelievers, salvation and forgiveness is available to them also.

Mankind's Ultimate "Plumb Line"
There is life after death. Where you spend eternity is your free will choice. But the only way to avoid eternal life in hell is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

The Challenge
Who do you know that is missing a "plumb line" in their life?
Will you love them enough to have the courage to share the answer with them?
Will you take time to pray for them?

God's blessings,
Rev. Lawrence Blakeslee
Missionary to Europe & Asia