A Chronicle of Cups and Conscience

*Lily* and *Rose* had made the acquaintance of *Rachel* and *Tony*, a mother and son. They were very nice people, and the two sisters began to spend a lot of time with them. There was just one difference between the two groups: Lily and Rose were Christians, while Rachel and Tony were not. The girls tried to be good witnesses; but often their overall approach was clumsy, and Rose capitulated much of the time. Sometimes Lily would too, but she managed to stand firm for a while longer on the larger things, refusing to watch movies or engage in meaningless conversations. As time went on, however, her remaining willpower began to erode, until at last she joined in. She tried to lose herself in the fun and frolic, but always there seemed to be a convicting Voice in the back of her mind, marring her enjoyment.

One day, the group went to a mall. This mall had a store that sold many things from various Disney movies. Lily and Rose were not unfamiliar with these things--they hadn't grown up followers of Christ--but Lily especially felt that it shouldn't be a part of their lives anymore, considering what they claimed to be. All of this passed through Lily's mind as she entered the store, for the voice of conscience was still very much present, and it left her feeling very uneasy. Then she saw a cup with a character she used to really love on it. As she stared at it, memories of the movie and its pleasure came to her--that, along with the Holy Spirit's pleadings to resist the temptation. A battle raged in Lily's mind as she pondered these things.

"Do you want one?" It was Rachel speaking.

Time seemed to stand still as the girl hesitated, her mental disturbance greater than before. Now there was the question, How can I say no to Rachel? I would love to write that Lily called on Jesus and refused, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Her own desires, coupled with this invitation from someone she had grown to love, proved too much for her weakened will.

"Yes," Lily replied, and along with Rose, chose the particular cup she wanted. The gleeful face of the character and the happy orange background did nothing to increase her own happiness as she held it. She knew she had done wrong yet again, and try as she might, she could not look at that mug afterwards without remembering something of that day.

Lily did use the cup, and kept it for a long time, but as her love for her LORD was rekindled, she hated to even bring it out of the cabinet to where others could see it. Eventually neither she nor Rose used them, and they sat on the shelf out of sight, until the day they were thrown away.

Thankfully, Lily and Rose never lost the presence of the Holy Spirit entirely, and were able to untangle themselves from the mess they created. Even so, both admit that it would have been far better if they had listened all that time. May their experiences be a lesson to us. Will you listen when "thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left" (Isaiah 30:21)?

Blessings,
Jean