By Adam Faughn
Doritos are a favorite of many people. These potato chips come in several strong flavors, and the crunchy snack is often eaten at cookouts or on road trips. But can you imagine giving up your freedom for a bag of those tasty chips?
That’s what a huge pig in Highland, California recently did. The pig, which was described as being the same size as a mini-horse, got loose and was wandering the streets of that community. It seems that this pig has a way of doing that from time-to-time, so some of the local police are used to calls about this particular animal. Knowing that, one deputy had a bag of Doritos in her lunch bag, and simply made a small trail of the crunchy snacks, which the pig followed right back to its pen, where it was secured again.
This pig was free but gave it all up for a crunchy snack. We can laugh at that, or we can see a deeper picture about ourselves. How often do we trade so many great blessings in this life for things that are fun or enjoyable but of far less value to us? How many people trade a lifelong commitment with a spouse for a few moments of intimate pleasure with another? How many trade a reputation and integrity for a night of drinking and partying?
The Bible makes it clear that sin has pleasure attached to it (see Hebrews 11:25), but that the pleasure is only passing; it is only “for a season.” After the moments of enjoyment comes the entrapment of sin. The addictions. The damaged reputations. The harmed relationships. The wasted money. The time that is no longer available. Above all, the sting of a marred relationship with our heavenly Father.
When we think about it that way, that pig on the West Coast seems a little more like us. He got a few minutes of pleasure from those potato chips but ended up right back in the pigpen where he started.
Maybe it is time we start looking past the temporary excitement that seems to accompany sin and start looking at where it will lead us in this life and, ultimately, in eternity. When we do, we will not trade our freedom in Christ for something insignificant.
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover - up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16)
- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org
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