You Fall the Way You Lean

Recently, I received the disturbing news that a friend of mine had left his wife and children and had run off with another woman. While it is sad, I must confess I am not shocked. There were indicators to all who knew this man that there was something seriously wrong in his family life. Despite offers to help, there was nothing but insistent replies that there were no problems. All was well, he kept saying. Obviously, all was not well.

It was not just a moment in time that resulted in a ruined marriage and home. This tragedy had been a long time coming. It always is.

When I was a student at Bob Jones University, at the front of each classroom there hung over the chalk board (an indicator of how long ago I was in college!) a plaque with a sage comment printed on it. The university’s founder was famous for his wise sayings, usually uttered in a message to the student body in the college chapel. A different one of these statements was prominently displayed in every classroom. One of these signs read, “Back of every tragedy in human character there is a slow process of wicked thinking.” This is true.

No one ever went to moral wreck and ruin in a sudden instant. No man holds up a bank on a momentary impulse. First there is the attitude of discontent or the thought of greed or covetousness. This simmers and brews over time. Then there is the idea that a large sum of money can be had by robbery. Perhaps there is the influence of wicked companions. There is the plotting and planning. Finally, there is the execution of the plan, the actual robbery.

• No one becomes a drunkard or drug addict suddenly. People descend into this tragic condition over time.
• No one commits adultery and leaves their family in an instant. It starts with discontent, bitterness, or pride.

There is lust and wicked desire that occupies the thought life. Eventually there is sinful action and broken hearts.

This principle is true in countries as well as individuals. Consider what took place in Germany in the early and middle twentieth century. Have you ever wondered how the land of Luther and Beethoven came to the place where Jewish children were being put into ovens? It did not happen overnight. Years of wicked thinking led this society in a downward trend to disastrous moral collapse.

It is happening today. For example, in Canada, my grandfather’s native land, there was, years ago, a growing sympathy for those suffering in late stages of terminal illness. This proper compassion led many to think improperly that in rare cases euthanasia might be employed as a merciful aid. Legislation passed the Canadian Parliament legalizing medical aid in dying (MAID). In a short while this practice expanded beyond the terminally ill to the chronically ill. Then it extended to the mentally ill, including the clinically depressed. Now it is even applied to minors. In Canada today one out of every twenty deaths is medically induced. In a nation with a financially strained socialized medical system, prescribing death is much more economical than prolonged treatment. The value of human life in Canada is being dramatically reduced. A generation ago, Canadians would have found this situation repugnant! How did it come to this? A process of wicked thinking.

The gradual spiritual and moral decline of our own country is obvious to all with eyes to see. Co-habitation without marriage is commonly practiced. Homosexuality is generally accepted as normal and healthy. It is widely asserted that males can become females. Some medical professionals even perform irreversible sterilization surgeries on so-called transgender people, euphemistically calling such monstrous practices “gender affirming care.” Early in my own lifetime, such things were unimaginable. We see the fruit of a process of wicked thinking.

Following the arduous questioning period at my ordination to the gospel ministry, a retired preacher who was part of the council approached me with a handshake. Rather than releasing his grip after a polite moment, he pulled me close to him. He looked me in the eye and gave me a piece of advice I never forgot. “Young man, remember this: You fall the way you lean, so stand up straight!”

The passing decades have proved repeatedly how wise this man’s observation and admonition was. Whether for individuals, families, churches, or countries, people lean before they fall. The gradual toleration of ideas and then practices leads to places once considered unimaginable. Remember, the way you lean is the way you fall. Guard your thinking. (Pro. 4:23) In fundamental truth and principles; in morals and ethics, stand up straight!

David A. Oliver is the pastor of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding, MI. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Maranatha Baptist University.

Photo by Mario Bruns on Unsplash