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Suzy's dilemma
“Are my standards too high?” asked a teen in my Sunday School class. The story then spilled out. Suzy had been to a party. The partygoers had been pretty wild, and she had locked herself in a bedroom, broken into tears, and called her parents to come get her.
Much as we’d love to believe that was an unusual situation peculiar to teens, there’s nothing so unusual about it. It’s an age-old story. Both youth and adults often find themselves at odds with society on issues of morality—as guests at cocktail parties, as young adults in a compromising dating situation, as businessmen faced with ethical decisions, as mothers facing the ire of other parents over health issues. We all have our “crosses” to bear, so my teenage friend was not alone.
She was holding up a standard but felt the discrimination of others in so doing. I wonder how Jesus felt when he did the same. He never deviated from his standards, whether faced with a communicable disease (leprosy), a hostile mob, or the treachery of one of his own disciples. He never waffled, never deviated from his highest sense of right. He faced crosses and turned them into crowns.
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