Tip of My Iceberg

Sugar is a child’s best friend.

Or so they think.

Back when I was little, they had a flavored powdered sugar candy called Lik-M-Aid that most parents didn’t appreciate but many kids enjoyed. It came with a stick that you’d dip in the sugar to slurp off the deliciousness. Leaving its mark on lips and teeth as the color impacts all it touches.

In 1973 it became Fun Dip, and my grands love it. As an adult, it’s annoying because it destroys tooth enamel and leaves its colorful stamp wherever it lands.

Does it get any better?

We were watching our local fun-loving grands, and at the end of the week, having done their best in school, they each got a Fun Dip to enjoy, a tiny reward for a job well done. I can’t deny that I cringed watching them eat their sugar of choice–my own teeth were screaming silently over the injustice done to their mouths with this stuff.

They loved every colorful moment.

You cannot, however, create a diet around sugar. It’s unhealthy and puts people at risk for diseases, tooth loss, and variety of other issues.

It’s pleasant in the moment but not something anyone should make the focus of their caloric intake.

I’m not going to demonize sugar; I have my own sweet tooth, and my poison of choice is dark chocolate. Eating too much of it, however, gives me a stomach ache that isn’t at all comfortable.

Such are the many negative influences in life. Screens are great for research, writing, learning how to do new things, and occasional enjoyment. Too much screen time can cause folks to hyper-focus on watching what may or may not be useful or good. I watched a mother in the store the other day take a phone away from a small child, whose immediate response was to scream and throw a fit.

Not useful.

The Bible talks a lot about the cost of negative influences and how we need to be wary of what we do and who we do it with.

There were those in the city of Corinth that questioned the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, which is the crux of the gospel message. Paul used his own changed life to support what he had seen and experienced–he had met the risen Jesus on his way to Damascus, was struck blind, and healed by one of Jesus’ followers. His whole life changed because of that encounter. Before that, Paul had been a persecutor of the church of Jesus, imprisoning or helping put to death His followers.

That all changed. He understood what the cost of faith was, and he was all in. His comment to those who denied the truth of Jesus and His resurrection was a reminder of another truth. “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things (that there’s no resurrection from the dead), for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33.

Who we spend time with and what we choose to believe impacts us as people and how we live life. “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20.

The occasional impact of sugar on a child won’t cause irredeemable damage. A little sugar goes a long way to enjoy many foods. And it tastes awesome.

But allowing influences in our lives that aren’t meant for our good can take us down a hard road that may lead to tough challenges and complications in life.

Who and what do you allow to influence your life?