Real Devo: Dirty by Jenn Joshua, RT Staff Writer

Dirty. . .

By Jenn Joshua, RT Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered how it’s possible to be ‘different’ from the rest of the world? Well, me too! A few months ago especially, I was haunted by James 1:27 where it says, “This is pure and undefiled religion: to keep yourself unspotted from the world”. What exactly did unspotted mean? Did the term refer to inward things, outward, or both? And once it was defined, how was it to apply to my daily life? (And what entertainment would I have to give up if it were true?!)

God tells us that He looks our hearts – we’re called to be different INSIDE – what spills from us when we’re ‘nudged’ should be totally different from what spills when unbelievers are ‘nudged’. I’m not saying that what’s inside is the only thing that matters – that we can dress like whatever, live like whatever, talk like whatever – but rather that if what’s inside is ‘true, noble, right, and pure’, what spills from us should be just that! As Amy Carmichael put it, “A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill a single bitter drop”.

It’s been said that if you put a frog in a saucepan of tepid water and set it on the stove to boil, it won’t jump out because the temperature change is so gradual – it doesn’t even notice – it just sits there ‘til it boils to death. (By the way, this might be a good experiment for biology class, but otherwise it’s not really recommended!)

I think we sometimes get so steeped in the culture that we don’t realize we’re slowly being boiled alive – that the music, the movies, the books and magazines we feed our minds are beginning to have a subtle effect on us...

For example, have you ever done the Queen Anne’s Lace flower experiment? You know, the one where you slit the stem of the flower, and put each side in a different glass of food coloring? In a matter of days, the flower is two different colors. The change is subtle at first – the color creeps up the stalk and gently fills each bud – then suddenly, with a burst of color, there you have it! Half blue, half red... plain and bold for everyone to see!

If we’re feeding ourselves filthy things – or even just mildly dirty things – it’s still eventually going to show, no matter what we do. Maybe it won’t evidence itself in flaming colors, but it’ll be there and people will see it.

“Therefore, my friend, be diligent that you may be found in peace – without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:16

Jenn is a senior in high school whose love of writing is surpassed only by her
love of working with kids. After her graduation in the spring, it is her
plan to work at an inner-city kid’s camp, followed by an internship at a local
children’s home.