Reasons not to Visit

As a young man I was often jealous of those who lived a wicked life.  To be able to do what felt good whenever I wanted seemed like a ideal way to live.  Then I would meet people who were doing things I had been taught were wrong.  Rather than being miserably sad I discovered they were usually quite happy.  Take my friend Burt (name changed).

Burt lived a few houses away from Simon, and you could often find Burt at his friends house.  He admitted to me one day that at Simon's house the computer was not monitored, and they could browse any website they wanted.  I was 14, and the internet was fairly new, so I suspect Simon's parents didn't know how dangerous internet pornography could be.  Come to think of it, I doubt I guessed how dangerous pornography was, because I thought that sounded interesting.  Unfortunately our house rules on visiting friends made it so I couldn't go, and somehow deep inside I knew it was wrong, so I never visited Simon's house.

And yet things seemed to go well for Burt and Simon.  I understand why Jeremy said, "Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" (Jeremiah 12:1).  It didn't seem fair that each of them went to church and the young men's president said what good examples they were.  They did fine in school, and their parents weren't aware of what was going on.  Once I tried to talk to Burt about it, and I suggested he tell his parents what was going on, but Burt said he wasn't hurting anybody, and it wasn't a big deal, and besides it was a lot of fun.  I started to wonder if he wasn't right.   Too bad I wasn't allowed to visit Simon's house too.

"And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it." (1 Nephi 22:14)  This prophesy from Nephi has several interpretations, but it helps me to know that every idea, person, or thing that is contrary to the commands of God is part of the "whore" which will eventually bring disappointment.  That is why the Savior said, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" (Matthew 6:20).  Only those things which bring us closer to Christ will bring lasting happiness.

I share this story because I know how it turns out.  There are others that chose a wicked life who I have lost track of, but I have faith that at some point they will either choose to repent or they will regret their choice.  There are some who choose lust and greed over righteousness, and they are still living a riotous life, but I have faith that some day their choice to abandon what they knew was right will lead them to sorrow.  Just because I don't see the pain that results from every unrighteous choice doesn't mean I should doubt the truth.  All the money, the prestige, the high scores on video games, the awesome movies, the clever schemes, alcohol, drugs, immorality - anything that doesn't lead to Christ will eventually lead to sorrow.

Burt went to Simon's house regularly, and he seemed just like every other faithful LDS kid, until it was time to serve a mission.  Suddenly he realized how much he would be asked to give up.  I suspect he had slowly eroded away his faith and pushed away the spirit until the idea of giving up 2 years to serve a mission seemed silly.  Burt joined the military without telling anyone, and after high school he was gone.  His family was surprised and hurt by his secretive nature, and soon he was estranged from his family.  I am guessing his family and friends tried to encourage Burt to return to church because soon he stopped communicating with them. He married at some point, but I don't know when.  He was living life the way he wanted without asking what the Lord wanted him to be doing.

A few years ago I ran into Burt again.  He had returned home and was trying to pick up the pieces of his life.  His marriage was ruined and the divorce painful.  He was addicted to cigarettes and felt uncomfortable at church.  He had found the army wasn't offering him the career choices he wanted, and his attitude of selfishness wasn't earning him favor with his officers.  He had left the army and was trying to go back to college after being gone for years.  It was difficult and painful.  I won't pretend to know everything, but the spirit testified to me that his decision to visit his friend for wicked reasons had lead to more sorrow than pleasure ten times over.

It is critical for me to choose friends that encourage me to live righteously.  When I look at those people who enjoy wicked living I remember Burt, and I repeat what the scriptures have said about following the world instead of Christ.  Every opportunity to sin that I have passed up has led to blessings, and every wrong choice has lead to pain, but it takes faith to be patient when I see people who are enjoying wicked living.  I choose to wait on the Lord and to avoid places that I know invite sin.