Going Against What Looks Right

Proverbs 14:1-22

Proverbs 14:12-13 (MSG) "There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again - it leads straight to hell.  Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak."

Hello!  How about a warning to start your day off right?!  I think this is a good summary of Western culture.  As a society, we are inundated with "ways of life that look harmless enough."  I would venture to say that I'm probably not even fully aware of the influence that cultural norms have on me.  I think it's safe to say that I struggle with fitting in and keeping up with the proverbial Jones'.  Those stinkin' Jones' people make my life so difficult.  For example (oh, this could ruffle some feathers, so get ready):

I live in Little Rock, Arkansas.  This little big town has every kind of person you can imagine and with all of this diversity comes quite a bit of societal pull.  Holden is only 11 months old (almost), but I'm already preparing for the drama that accompanies the school decisions we will have to make.  I think God is already beginning to prepare my heart for the fight to go against a way of life that everyone else is doing... I hear a lot of talk about the public school system here.  From my observations, if you live in the "right" part of town and are zoned for a "good" school you will be ok until junior high school; that's when everybody just puts their kids in private school.  Now, let me say - I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH PRIVATE SCHOOL... What I'm concerned about is the ramifications of Christians making decisions based on societal influence instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I guess part of me wonders about the need of God-fearing parents on the PTA's of "lower-class" schools and the necessity of children who are earnestly seeking God to befriend the kid whose daddy is in jail....  Is this just pie-in-the-sky thinking?  Honestly, I'd love some feedback...

Why do we "Christians" all look the same?  Why does it feel like we are in a Christian bubble?  What does it really mean to BE the church?  Don't we fall short when all we do is minor philanthropy?  Isn't God bigger?

Ugh, these issues are on my heart alot... (I include myself in the hypocrisy, by the way)

It seems to me that our way of life looks harmless enough... Sure, there's nothing overtly wrong with a $500,000 or $200,000 or insert-whatever-amount house; there's nothing overtly wrong with that Northface jacket, either; or those Uggs; God doesn't say you can't drive a new BMW; He doesn't say you can't put your kid in any darn school you see fit; He doesn't tell us not to go on that vacation; He never said we can't find pleasure in things or people or experiences or whatever!  I'm just curious as to where the line ends and we stop glorifying God in all of that and we start glorifying ourselves?  Food for thought...

At the end of the day, I interpret the Proverbs verse as a warning... I believe that ALL of my decisions should be filtered through what God would have me do and what would be pleasing to Him.  And I know that what God would have me do is entirely different than what God would have you do.  I pray that I am brave enough to accept whatever challenge he offers because the reward of obedience is great and the consequence of making decisions just to fit in leads straight to hell.