[This is one of the stories I wrote on the 12-16 hour flights to or from India] Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away (Proverbs 4:14-15).
Normally it was no problem. Normally Sin’s Camp was just a bright light on the distant horizon. Suddenly one day, quite unexpectedly, he rounded a bend in the road and found Sin’s Camp directly before him. Previously when this had happened he would immediately reverse course and get as far away as possible.
Today for reasons that even he did not fully understand he found himself lingering and looking. The thought came that maybe he should wander through Sin’s Camp one time just to see what was there. So he walked down Sin’s Main Street; very stiff and very fast. His eyes were amazed and his sight was titillated but he made it safely through to the other side. “That wasn’t so bad”, he thought rather proudly. “I went through Sin’s Camp and nothing tempted me. I must be a really strong Christian” and he journeyed on.
Sometimes at night, sights and sounds that he could not even remember seeing or hearing during his brief trip through Sin’s Camp, came back to taunt and tempt him but he would brush them aside like an irritating fly and continue his work.
One day he noticed that the road he was on was the same road that had previously led him to Sin’s Camp. Warning bells went off but he continued on his way. Around a familiar curve suddenly there sat Sin’s Camp; bright, bold, and intriguingly inviting. A still small voice urged him to flee but confident in his own ability He decided to enter Sin’s Camp once again. This time his walk was slow and his looks were lingering; and this time he noticed all the dimly lit streets that branched off the Main Street. Shop owner invited him in but he would shake his head and continue his walk. Finally, he emerged at the other end, proud of his accomplishment, but surprised by the beads of sweat that circled his brow.
Now we found that every idle moment was a torture as his mind ran reruns of all he had seen in Sin’s Camp. His imagination began to add details and desires and he realized he was in trouble so he determined to never walk that road again. Time passed and his imagination tortured him less and less but he was surprised that a sore place had formed in his mind and ever so often someone or something would bump against it and bring his mind and imagination back into Sin’s Camp again. He was particularly amazed that those dim side streets became an almost overwhelming curiosity sometimes He did not want to admit to his father where he had been; although he knew his father knew already, so he simply told his father that he loved Him very much and he recommitted himself to serving Him. So, with energy and enthusiasm, he threw himself back into his work and even spent time denouncing Sin’s Camp and all it contained. But the lights from Sin’s Camp kept flashing over the horizon and those dim side streets kept calling his curiosity.