Sin and Temptation: Week 6, Day 2

Day 2: Meanest Mom on the Planet

Jane Hambleton of Des Moines, Iowa, calls herself "the meanest mom on the planet." So when she bought her 19-year-old son a car, she gave him two rules to follow: first, no alcohol in the car, and second, always lock it.

One day she was getting something out of her son's car, and guess what she found. Alcohol. She was devastated. She confronted him, and he said it belonged to one of his friends.

When I was a kid, my sister tried that same line when my mom found cigarettes in her purse. But, of course, when she was confronted, my sister said they weren't her cigarettes, but they were her friend's cigarettes, and she was holding them for her. So my mom and my sister stayed up all night until around 5:30 in the morning, and finally my sister confessed that the cigarettes were hers.

Jane was very upset over finding alcohol in her son's car. Not only was he underage and could go to jail for doing such a thing, but if he was driving while under the influence of alcohol, he was risking his life and the lives of everyone else on the road.

She decided her son was not mature enough to handle the responsibility of a car, so she placed an ad in the newspaper: "1990 Olds. Uncool parents who don't love their teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom, who needs to get a life found alcohol under his front seat. $3700 or best offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

Jane received over 70 phone calls from emergency room technicians, nurses, school counselors, and even one man who just wanted to congratulate her on her courage. So far, the only critic is her son, who said he is "very, very unhappy."

Jane took extreme action because she loved her son and wanted to protect him, even from himself. She didn't want to take any chances on him drinking and driving. She'd rather endure the wrath of her son over the grief of burying him.

There are times we have to take extreme actions to protect ourselves. For example, sometimes we have to end relationships, stop an activity, change a schedule, etc., to make sure we stay out of trouble. Is there any area of your life where you need to "sell the car" to get yourself out of the mess you put yourself in?

Time Out:

Look up Galatians 6:7-10 and answer the following questions.

What does it mean that God cannot be mocked?

When the Bible says a man reaps what he sows, it means that you get what you put into it. If you plant potatoes, you get potatoes. If you lie, you become a liar. If you deceive, you become a deceiver.

Verse 8 warns us that if we are planting bad stuff in our lives, it will eventually catch up to us, and our lives will be miserable. That is why in verse 9 God encourages us to not grow weary in doing what_____________________.

It's hard to do the right thing when so many people around you do the wrong something. It's easy to get caught up in it and end up somewhere where you don't want to be. The only way you will make it through without massive regrets is to stay close to Jesus and realize that his way of life is far better than what other people who don't follow Him will ever experience.