Have you heard of the “slippery slope”? It’s used to warn us that a small step in a certain direction will lead to an inevitable, rapidly escalating slide to the extreme. Our parents started introducing us to it when we were kids:
If you keep making that expression, your face will freeze like that.
The slippery slope that leads from 30 seconds of grimacing to the permanent rearrangement of our facial structures is a stretch. But we have others that make more sense, right?
We’re concerned about the decisions politicians make because we sense there’s a moral slippery slope at work. We worry about whom our kids will date, the behavior of a friend that seems to be leading nowhere good, or what we will allow our boyfriend or spouse to get away with – because they’re all potential slippery slopes. And we’ve discovered (painfully) that sin is the slipperiest of slopes – a look often becomes an act, a longing unsuppressed can lead to a life far from the one Christ intended for us, and a temper excused may quickly progress to violence and shame.
But what about the positive slippery slopes? Why do we focus so little on the attitudes and actions that can set in motion an inevitable, rapidly escalating slide in the right direction?
If you keep praying like that, soon your faith will grow.
If you don’t stop forgiving your wife, before long she’s going to welcome grace and be transformed by it.
You know all of that hard work, relentless integrity, and consistent development of your skills is going to lead to a promotion and increased influence, right?
If you don’t want to end up with deep, quality relationships that will sustain and enrich your life, you’d better quit being so intentional about your friendships.
It’s a short step from the kind of generosity you’re starting to express to the happiness and fulfillment that eludes most people.
It’s a slippery slope all right.
You can spend your life frantically trying to avoid every possible misstep that might lead you into a moral, relational, or financial oblivion. Or you can tenaciously pursue every right move, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, in the direction of the abundant life God has given you through Jesus.
The choice is yours. Just remember: it’s a slippery slope.
The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Peter 1:8 – NLT).
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