"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!", Matthew 6:22-23My pastor once told the story of a missionary trip where he was taking a group of young people through the countryside. At some point on the journey across the rugged terrain and undeveloped, winding roadways, they came upon a serious accident where many people were hurt and suffering. He was the first to spot the carnage and quickly yelled out to his charges, "Look away!". He knew that if they took in the images of that scene it would have a significant and harmful effect on them. That scene, once it is processed by the brain, would take years to fade. The poison would linger in their systems for years to come had he not acted quickly.
Today I wish there were times when a caring guide had been there to caution me to look away. Those graphic sexual images on the computer, the images that made me believe the lure of alcohol and cigarettes, the news programs that jaded my outlook of my world. All poisons that course through my system and affect my actions. Where was the shout of "Look away!" when I was most vulnerable? Now I only wish to unsee, for the light to come in and dispel the lurking darkness.
