“Audrey, when they close a road, they put up big signs, like this one. Ahhhh!” I’ll never forget the look on Clark Griswold’s face in the first Vacation movie when he realized he had driven his car down a closed road and crashed. There were plenty of signs that the road was closed. His daughter even tried to warn him. Unfortunately, he missed it until it was too late. He was looking for the Grand Canyon, and instead, he and his family ended up in a ditch.
It’s easy to make bad decisions and go down the wrong roads. They can look so enticing, so right, and can feel so good. The difficult part is that we often don’t realize it until it’s too late and the damage is done morally, spiritually, and relationally. Before you head down a path you’ll regret, look for the warning signs. Here are 5 roads to destruction that too few people avoid.
1. One Small Moral Concession at a Time
Just this once, right? It’ll be so much easier this way. Making a “small” moral concession, like telling an innocuous lie, fudging the books, or not paying for something because no one will notice and cash is tight, only makes it easier to make those types of bad decisions over and over again. It’s rarely just once. The temptation becomes stronger each time, leading us to a place we never thought we’d be. The best way to avoid this road is to hold onto your integrity no matter how big or small the act, and whether people notice or not.
2. Pride
Everyone likes attention. It feels good, but it’s a problem when we start to have a preoccupation with ourselves, our egos, and our status. More and more, we desire attention and admiration, and when we don’t receive it, we become dissatisfied with the people around us. It causes alienation and relational breakdowns. Instead, we should do as Philippians 2:3 says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
3. Prioritizing the Wrong Things
If you are wondering about the type of person you’re becoming, look at what you love the most. Before you quickly answer your wife, kids, and perhaps God, take an inventory of how you spend your time. What do you spend your time thinking about more than anything? What captures your imagination? How do you spend your money? When we prioritize the wrong things, we end up alone, making bad decisions, full of regret, and cause hurt. Put your attention and love in the right things.
4. Being Independent
Be self reliant—that’s the lie we’re all fed. Being independent masquerades as strength when it’s actually weakness. All it does is feed our pride and isolate us from others because we’re too afraid to ask for help. Maybe we think it makes us look vulnerable or weak. What we should really aim for is interdependence. We need people, and they need us. We rely on each other. That’s what community is all about. Whereas, independence leads to disconnection and loneliness.
5. Creating a Subjective Moral Standard
Believing in our sole ability to determine right and wrong places our confidence in the wrong thing. We live in a time when we can’t even agree on basic facts. That means a large population believes in mistruths or outright lies. Those mistruths cause emotions, and those emotions are often how people determine what is right and wrong. Can our emotions always be trusted in guiding us to what is righteous, just, and true? Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” We need a standard higher than ourselves to guide us. I believe that to be God. What is it for you?
Sound off: What are some other possible bad decisions or destructive roads?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What’s the best decision you’ve ever made? What was the worst?”