We Had A "Drug" Problem

A few years ago, a Christian friend asked me a rhetorical question, “Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?” I reminded him that we did have a drug problem when we were growing up.

We were "drug" to church services on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. We were "drug" by our ears when we were disrespectful to adults. We were "drug" to the woodshed when we disobeyed our parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect to grownups, or spoke ill of our teacher or  preacher. We were "drug" to the kitchen sink if we uttered any profane words (Yes, lye soap didn’t taste very good!)

We were "drug" out to pull weeds our of our mother’s garden and flower beds. We removed the cockleburs out of our front and back yard. We were "drug" to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow their yard, repair their clothesline, or to chop some firewood. And if our mothers or fathers ever found out that we took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, they would have "drug" us back to the woodshed.

Yes, these “drugs” are still in our veins today, and they affect our behavior in everything we do, think, and say. They are stronger than any cocaine, crack, or heroin.

Dear reader, perhaps if today’s young folks had this kind of “drug” problem, our nation and world would be a better place in which to live (cf. Proverbs 14:34 NASB).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets