Have you ever noticed how many people at the pinnacle of some journey, whether it’s related to their career or to some other facet of life, find themselves plummeting down the slippery slope of moral disaster. It appears that the road we often call “success” is bordered by the steep terrain of temptation and the seemingly bottomless canyon of immoral and unethical decisions. Bernie Maddoff with his ponzie scheme, Michael Vick with his penchant for dog fighting, Ted Haggard and his sex scandal and King David who at the pinnacle of his career, slept with another man’s wife and then had the man murdered to cover his own wrong. All of them were so close to the top and all of them were so willing to risk winding up on the bottom.
Don’t you want to ask them, “Didn’t you hear the alarm bells going off?” “Wasn’t your conscience screaming at you?” I want to ask the question but I already know the answer. The alarms did go off they just decided to disconnect the wires so that they could pursue the passing rather than the permanent. This I believe is a risk for all of us for you don’t have to be famous to face temptation. Every day there are hundreds of temptations that seek to derail our character, there is the short cut we can take, the half-truth we can tell, the gaze that we can let linger, or the blind eye we can turn. Temptations confront all of us and none of us are immune to a misstep on the steep slope we are climbing.
And so as we seek to climb the steep slope toward a life of significance and service let us be vigilant in even the small steps that we take so that together we can avoid the pitfalls and together we can reach the pinnacle. This morning let me pass on a bit of advice for our very steep climb.
Don’t let your success diminish your accountability. The longer we climb the more risks we are willing to take. Places we used to go only when tethered to a friend we now feel confident we can handle all by ourselves. This is an incredibly dangerous habit for those of us in leadership. It is incredibly helpful, and practically essential, to have someone in your life who can and will ask you the tough questions.
Avoid a lifestyle filled with hyperactivity. When we are too busy and find ourselves juggling too many things it is impossible for us to simultaneously focus on our footing. Set a few things down, step back and look at where you are standing and take some time to get things in order spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Don’t disconnect the alarm. God loves us enough to wire us with an alarm system, listen to the alarm. Most people who find themselves in a precarious position had premonitions long before that the path they were on was less than perfect. Listen carefully for the alarms. Don’t push past a feeling of discomfort. Ask yourself if the path you’re on is the one you really want to walk.
God is taking us on a radical journey full of fantastic view, let’s not let a misstep ruin the tip. This morning in chapel we will join together in worship reminding ourselves that this is not a journey that we need to go alone. We have friends who will climb with us and a God who will provide for us a firm footing.
Shalom aleichem, May well-being be upon you.
