Dragged into the Mire

 

You have heard the phrase, “dragging someone through the mud,” referring to ruining someone’s reputation or moral influence by dragging it through the proverbial mire.

 

I want to pivot from destroying a reputation to destroying a soul or character, from lies that tarnish a person’s image to sinful environments and influences that pull a person down into the mire itself.

 

Invitation: When we try to do what is right, there will always be a message pulling us toward what is wrong. “Come with us, it will be fun.” “Everyone is doing it.” “No one will know.” Then the unspoken invitation, the pressure of being the only one not doing it, or the curiosity of what it would be like to cross the line. Do not forget the wise father’s admonition to his son, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Prov. 1:10).

 

Destination: Misery seeks company on the road to its end. Whether in shared guilt, shared consequences, or shared evil, it is the same for those caught in the spiritual mire. In their misery, the saying proves true: the more the merrier. Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 4:14–15 is still sound today: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.” Otherwise, you too will share in the same end.

Contamination: The old proverb is true, “If you sleep with dogs, you wake up with fleas.” In my younger years, I found out firsthand that people you keep company with shape who you become (1 Corinthians 15:33). It doesn’t end with contamination. When allowed to run its course, the progression moves from contamination to imitation to initiation. It begins with you being influenced, then becomes something you practice, and eventually something you promote in others. As Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”
 

For as long as we live, there will be sinful environments and influences that drag us through the mire. Unfortunately, many who are dragged through it end up stuck in it. If you realize that you’re already stuck in it, know that you aren’t too deep to be reached. Choose today to refuse the invitation, commit to avoiding the path, and resolve to change your company.

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Written by Craig Ressler