When one is not home and has too much time on one’s hands one tends to watch way too much television. In the last two months I have seen more “I Love Lucy” and “Bonanza” programs than I ever did when those characters were still alive. I can’t believe I did this and am admitting it but I even watched an old Lawrence Welk program. Please turn off the bubble machine. What was fun about watching was a moment when he invited ladies from the audience to come and dance with him. About a dozen blue-haired ladies rushed to him. The camera caught one literally elbowing two other ladies so she could get her moment. I’m not sure she fit the definition of the word “lady.” So much for growing up.
One of the classes I teach is the psychology of human development and I am compelled to ask, not just because of this incident, but by daily behavior of most people, “Does our basic nature ever change no matter our age? Or do we just become more sophisticated about how we get what we want?” Jeremiah wondered, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” Jeremiah 13:23
Hopefully the answer to this is “Yes.” If not, educating our children or going to church or moral discussions would be useless. In Matthew 5:48 Jesus exhorts us to be perfect. Apparently He believed we could do better or He would not have bothered. We can do better. It might not be easy but with the help of the Holy Spirit “the leopard” might not change its spots but neither will it eat us.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 21, 2012
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