New Wineskins
The celebrity world is abuzz with nude pics of famous celebrities (hacked from their phones) making a momentary appearance on the internet over the weekend before being drowned out in a sea of lawsuits. The majority of us simply shake our heads and ask ourselves, “what were they thinking taking those pictures in the first place?”
Single men and women doing things intended only for married men and women is nothing new. As much as they might deny it, when your parents were tempted to fool around. As cosmically destructive as it might be to even comprehend, your grandparents were tempted the same way: do things you’re not supposed to do, show things you’re not supposed to show.
But here’s the difference: if your great-grandmother (God rest her soul) was tempted back when she was a teenager to show off something she shouldn’t have, it was a momentary indiscretion. It was in the moment, with nothing but a memory for the eye of the beholder. But today with the advancement of technology, our momentary indiscretions can now be captured digitally and used to haunt us for the rest of our lives.
A few years ago (back when I was a youth pastor) I counseled with a girl who was emotionally distraught. She wrestled with self-mutilation, she struggled in school, and she was broken emotionally. Why? Because of a topless picture she sent of herself to a guy she liked at the time. Just a momentary indiscretion, but one in the digital age. Once the boy lost interest, he still had the picture. He forwarded it onto his friends, it went viral at her school, and her world collapsed.
Technology is a double-edged sword. It enhances the speed of life, but it also enhances the speed at which life can be ruined. Beware.
The wise see danger and take refuge,
but the fool keeps going and pays the penalty. Proverbs 27:12
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