“What I do in my time is MY business…it’s my life…it does not affect anyone else but me.”
Have you ever heard that phrase? WOW…I have…in fact I hear it a lot when confronting people on stuff. It seems that the majority of the time their response is, “Back off dude—it’s my life…and even though what I am doing may be called sin…it’s not hurting anyone but me.”
WRONG! This became SO evident to me this morning. (Warning—the following paragraphs will include some “bathroom humor,” if you are offended easily—STOP READING!)
So I get to the gym about 5:30 this morning and I am walking across the parking lot trying to wake up. There is a dude who was about 25 feet in front of me who had NO IDEA I was even on the planet.
He walked through the first section of doors and got to the second section just as I was coming in…and then…IT HAPPENED…RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME…this dude lifted his right leg and let one rip!!! (Yes, he pooted—floated an air biscuit—whatever you want to call it!!!)
First of all it was LOUD...it was undeniable that this guys had an issue or two. Second of all—DANG—the smell about knocked me over—I wanted to vomit. Third of all—this dude had no idea I was even around…until…I cleared my throat really loud. He froze for just a second and then began walking really fast towards the weight area. I followed him, trying to get his attention the entire time. Finally he did look at me out of the corner of his eye and I smiled. He then got on the elevator and disappeared.
Now…let’s walk back through that situation again, shall we? What was going through his mind when he walked through those first section of doors? “Hey…I need to let one go…and this is the perfect place to do it, no one is around…I know this is really going to stink—BUT—it’s my life and it’s not going to really affect anyone else.”
If that was his line of thinking then he was WRONG...it shook the doors of the YMCA and nearly melted my face off!!! It took me several minutes before I could breath normally again.
What would I tell a story about “Mr. Stinky Rear-End” this morning? Simple—what happened to me PROVES that, no matter how private you think your life is…it’s NOT!!!
I read some statistics the other day that said the United States now has over 300 million people living here—and experts say that by the year 2040 we will have 400 million. THAT’S A LOT OF PEOPLE!!! And with more and more people arriving on the planet…and with cell phones…the internet…myspace…our lives are becoming less and less private.
And reality is this—what you do in “your time” with “your life” DOES affect other people. Let me give some examples…
This past Sunday I spoke about affairs in marriage…you CAN NOT have an affair and it not affect those closest to you!
You can’t rack up mounds of debt and it not affect your marriage (or your future spouse) and your kids!
You can’t be dishonest at work and it not affect your co-workers.
You can’t cuss like a sailor and it not affect the way your children talk.
You can’t be an addict to anything and it not affect your family and friends.
You can’t run around with a bad attitude and it not affect EVERYONE you come into contact with.
And reality is this…this is not “my time,” neither is it “my life.” The Bible is clear that this world is not “myspace,” it’s God’s space!!! It was here before I got here and will be here long after I am gone. I am merely a steward of everything God allows me to have—including “my body” and “my time.”
And…when I do things in life that “stink up the place,” it DOES affect how others think and feel. (It did me this morning…and reality is this…I will never look at that dude the same. I am sure he is a nice guy…but I will always think of him as the dude who dropped a stink bomb and parted my hair!)
SO…think about “your” life—the choices you make…the way you live…and think about HOW that affects other people…because it does! This is not OUR life…it’s God’s life…and we should wear ourselves out trying to make HIM famous and not trying to satisfy our own selfish desires and then justify that behavior by saying, “It’s my life…it’s not hurting anyone.”
Reality is, once again, it’s not our life—we belong to Jesus…what are we going to do with that fact?