WE KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT

This week in our Small Group,we were studying the book of Daniel. Discussion centered around why Daniel was terrified (NIV) of Gabriel when the angel appeared to him. Something that Young Yip (is that a cool name or what?) said really got me to reflecting about fear.

When The movie The Ten Commandments came out, I was nine or ten years old. (A couple of others in our Small Group thought I was 9 or 10 when the original commandments were given to Moses.) But I was at the movies with a few friends back then, and I recall being really scared when they worshipped the golden calf.

This is the same 9 or 10 year old who loved The Abominable Snowman (well what little I saw of it, since a friend and I were asked to leave), The House on Haunted Hill, all the Vincent Price does E. A. Poe movies, with no scare or trepidation at all.

But when I saw them dancing around, worshipping the idol, I was frightened. I just knew how wrong it was. I felt uncomfortable, almost like I was endorsing the act by watching it.

Similarly, when I was a freshman in high school, some seniors took me to a party in the woods one Friday night where I saw some friends of mine, and a sophomore cheerleader drinking beer. She was sitting by the campfire with a sweater on, looking cool, laughing, enjoying the party.

I just wanted to get out of there. And I liked her a lot. But I knew what they were doing wasn't right. Fortunately, the guys I were with didn't drink either and we left after about five minutes. But I still remember the feelings were similar.

I guess I learned at a young age that if something doesn't feel right, it's not. At whatever age.