Bobby and Billy lived next door to each other. Beginning in elementary school, every morning they walked to school together. One day (all
too soon, according to their mothers) they reached high
school. Eagerly they looked forward to fun, freedom, football. When
they both made the team, they reveled in the attention.
Sadly their celebrations were halted when Bobby failed a
couple of crucial tests and was dropped from the team. Billy was shocked. He
had barely passed those tests and thinking of college ahead,
resolved to study more to be sure he kept his grades up. Bobby was offended at
his teacher who caused him to be kicked off the team—probably jealous that her
son failed to make the team. He became bitter and dropped out of school. He
found solace in the company of guys he used to think of as losers, hanging
around the soda shop during school hours and on a dark street corner after
dark.
Dark thoughts led to dark place, and dark deeds followed
for Bobby with the inevitable outcome of brushes with the law. By the time
Billy left for college with a sports scholarship, Bobby had run out of friends
willing to finance his appetite for thrills and booze and half-heartedly looked
for a job—even fast-food stores were reluctant to hire someone uneducated, with
a tendency to show up late or high. No sweat. His good buddy who supplied him
with drugs said he could always use his help—now he was solvent, dressed
better, if a little flashy, and found he was suddenly attractive to the girls
who followed his new group of friends—until he was arrested and jailed.
It wasn’t fair! Billy had all the luck, with a brand new
college degree, employers called him—Bobby (or should we say Booby?) couldn’t get one
to answer his call when he was paroled. Nobody befriended him now, and while on parole he was
warned to avoid his former friend or else return to finish his complete
sentence. No job, no friends, not much future to look forward to. Even if by some fluke, he were offered a job like Billy's, he was ill-prepared to perform. And now even Bobby
had no time for him--he had a great new job with a big corporation, was engaged
to be married and was buying a house. Good luck seemed to follow him around.
Good and bad things surround each of us as we travel our
path. Both offer opportunities for growth and character development. When we
are children, discipline is meted out by parents and teachers. As adults, we
must exercise self-discipline, accept and learn from those uncomfortable
“teaching moments” from God. (Have you noticed that you tend to spend more time with God when you're neck-deep in dilemma than when life is a happy tune?) If we accept the discipline, we profit and grow;
if we rebel at the experience, we still go through the same discipline but choked by resentment, we get no
wisdom, benefit or growth.
