Don't Eat What You Should Chuck

The other night we had an interesting occurrence at the dinner table.  Everyone in our family had nectarines with dinner.  It's not an oddity to eat fruit in our house, but what happened next was a first for me.  I was assured that the nectarines had been washed just after being purchased.  But being the avid fruit and vegetable washer that I am, I still examined it carefully.  Where the stem used to be there was a little grey fuzz, nothing scary.  I poked a knife into the hole and suddenly a tiny stick poked out a couple centimeters away.  I removed the knife and held it up in the light to see better.  Funny, I couldn't see the stick.  Again, I cut into the nectarine and suddenly the stick appeared again.  Wait a second, I thought.  Something weird is going on...it was one of those strange moments when the brain is a little slow to process.

Upon further examination, I could see the stick bending ever so slightly.  I stabbed right into it.  As you may have already guessed, I was disgusted and surprised to see my nectarine was inhabited by a small worm!  Before too long I had cut the worm on my plate, proudly displayed for all to see.  Then I cut out the small bad spot and washed the nectarine again.  And yes, I ate the rest.  Apart from that soft, blackened pinhole the fruit was fine.  I did notice, however, that the rest of Laura's nectarine remained uneaten.  It takes more than a tiny worm to ruin my appetite.

So much of life is like that nectarine.  Much of the programming on TV is fit for family viewing:  sports, cartoons, nature shows, even some movies and shows.  But there is a lot of programming that is pure garbage for the eyes and mind.  Even in good shows there can be bad spots.  It's a lot easier to cut the bruise out of a nectarine than to trim out a word or a mental image from a show.  That's where discernment comes in.  Even too much of a good thing can have a negative effect.  It's good to have fun but not at the expense of responsibility and morality.

Sometimes for the sake of that one black spot a whole show or movie must go.  But there are times when it is alright to skip a scene and keep a movie.  What if we were as careful with what we watched on TV or the internet as what we put in our mouths to eat?  No one in their right mind would eat that peach which suddenly went very wrong on my bench yesterday.  In the matter of a day it was an oozing, green haired, foul piece of fruit so rotten it could not be eaten (word to the wise - don't leave fruit too near your electric kettle).  The funny thing is, we can watch stuff that's just as bad spiritually and pollutes our minds - without giving it a single thought.

So the next time you find a worm in your fruit, are you going to eat it?  Or will you cut it out?  Same thing with what we put before our eyes.  Sometimes that thing needs to be thrown in the bin.  It's no good for you, and it will make you sick.  A worm may not eat much, but a little sin can consume your life!  By the time you recognize the symptoms, it may be too late for an easy cure.  Take it to the LORD.  He will grant the wisdom you need to make the righteous decision.