A word about “Fifty shades of grey”

This is a word for someone… I’m sure of it.  It came on the day that the trailer for the movie “Fifty shades of grey” came out.

I had a dream tonight.  Michelle and I were on a couple’s getaway at a small bed and breakfast and it was early evening.  There were a few people mingling around on the deck and Michelle and I were sitting on a porch swing just catching up about the day’s events.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a beautiful, innocent little girl skipping by and she took her place in the grass not far from us.  You see, there was a dog lazing in the cool grass and she wanted to pet him.  She laid down face first, picked a dandelion,  and allowed him to start gently licking her face.  It was the cutest thing ever.

And then he bit her nose.

I was pissed.  “Hey!  No!” I yelled at the dog and swatted him away from her.  A little trickle of blood was running down her nose where he had nipped her and broken her skin.  She wasn’t crying, but I was mad nonetheless.   I started shouting “Hey!  Who’s dog is this?”  For some reason, maybe it’s because I have four daughters, in that moment I had NO tolerance for this dog or its owner and I wanted to let both of them have it.

Just then, a guy who could not speak english came running up to me.  It was obvious the dog was his and he had let it just wander around the yard unattended.  I was yelling at him and he was trying to communicate back to me but could not.  The dog ran away.

It’s what happened next that shot me straight up out of bed.

Now I’m screaming at this guy “your dog bit this little girl!  And now look, it’s going to get hit by a (expletive) car!”  I’m so emotional that my voice is cracking and I have a quick, conscious thought about why I just cursed this guy.  Am I that mad?  He’s confused and looks down the hill from where we are standing and it’s a massive freeway.  Cars, trailers, and semi trucks are FLYING by.

The dog enters the highway.

The first ten or so cars avoid the dog.  Oddly, he’s grown bigger since he was in the grass.  Like, six times bigger and he’s wandering around on the highway as cars fly past him.

And then it happens.  A car tries to avoid the dog but loses control and spins out.  I’m thinking “Oh God, please don’t let there be a pile up on this freeway because of this stupid dog.”

BOOM.  Someone slams into that car going 80 miles and hour and now there are two.  And then, in an instant, the freeway becomes sheer chaos.  BOOM, another car.  And another one.  Now a semi truck jackknifes and spreads itself out across the median.  My heart is racing.  The guy is screaming for his dog.  People from the bed and breakfast are gathered at the top of the hill watching helplessly as the pileup continues.  One guy gets out of his car and tries to help someone and he’s smashed in between his car and another one.  I can’t believe I’m watching this.  I’m certain that it’s about to get worse but there’s NOTHING I can do.  And then…

All at once seven, maybe eight blue garbage trucks simultaneously slam into the pile of cars and people at 80 miles an hour and absolutely destroy any hope for those caught in the mangled mess of steel and flesh.  Cars on the freeway are slowing down and backing up now, but the damage is done.

My heart is destroyed.  I’m holding the little girl with a trickle of blood running down her face.  Three minutes ago this was about her.  Now, it’s become far bigger than a scratch on her nose.

Just then, I see the dog gently jog out of the pileup on the opposite hillside of the freeway.  He’s unhurt.  He’s untouched.  He has no conscience and therefore no comprehension of the damage he’s just caused.  I scream “call 911!” and begin running into the bed and breakfast for a phone and then I shoot straight up in bed.

It was all a dream I tell myself.  Go back to sleep.  But I can’t.

Here is the word that was lodged deep into my heart.  Little decisions lead to big decisions.

No one wakes up one morning and says to themselves “I think I’ll cheat on my wife this morning.”

No one wakes up one morning and says to themselves “I think I’ll destroy the lives of my family and friends with a pornography problem.”

No one wakes up one morning and says to themselves “I think I’ll get divorced today and have to split custody of my children with my ex.”

Nope, that’s not how it works.  We first just pet the dog.  And then he draws a little blood.  And then it causes a little confusion.  And then a lot of confusion.  And then one or two people get hurt.  And then a whole lot of innocent people get hurt.  And then the dog carries on his merry way… unleashed and free in the world.

Our issues (weight, gambling, alcohol, illegal drugs, pornography, anger, gossip, financial problems, deception etc.) almost always start small.  It may take 20 years or more for them to grow into full blown freeway crashes.  That’s why it’s so important to steer clear of things like “Fifty shades of grey.”  It would be a little decision to go to the movies, but it could lead to another one, and another one, and another one and pretty soon, you might make a big one.

John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy

James 4:7 – Resist the devil and he will flee from you