Second-hand Evil

“You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat.” (Ephesians 2:2-3 MSG)

When I was young, my Dad and most of his friends smoked. It was the 1970’s, and smoking was a common practice. Tobacco smoke contains hundreds of toxins, many of which can cause cancer. The smoke that came out of the tips of the cigarettes, as well as that exhaled by the smokers, poisoned every child who was nearby. I grew up inhaling second-hand smoke in my home, in the car, and at all social events. We also lived in the humid climate of southern Texas. Many homes were filled with black mold. Since I was a child, I didn’t have the knowledge or power to get away from this environment.

When we are under the sway of this world, we fill our lungs with its pollution. As children, we may not have very many options, but as adults we get to choose our environment. We can choose to hang out with smokers or live in homes with black mold. Or, we can get away. We can choose to surround ourselves with those who embrace darkness or with those who live in the light. There will be a cost either way--immediate social and economic inconvenience for leaving what is familiar or health issues in the future.  

What we inhale affects what we exhale. If we surround ourselves with evil, we are bound to breathe it in. The toxins seep into our lungs, our bloodstream, and eventually into every cell in our bodies. We become consumed by the darkness and controlled by the devil--the commander of all worldly pollution. What we exhale begins to contaminate future generations--passing on our attitudes of carelessness, rebelliousness, and disobedience--further causing humanity to be driven away from the purposes of God.