Don’t give a finger

It is said that if you give Satan a little finger, he will take your whole hand and then the natural result is that he takes all of you. Often some sins are considered small, and this is especially a danger when young people are reaching an age when they want to “spread their wings,” and deviate slightly from their parents warnings and admonishments -just to try a little of the world. Only a little bit. You say you will not go completely into the world, but what is the danger of just a little? That little bit can lead to something larger without your realizing what is happening at first.

Here is a true story that shows how Satan works from small beginnings. It is a story told by a lady called Mara Moor. Mara, in the Bible, means “Bitterness”. When the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and proceeded into the desert, there was no water to drink and everyone was thirsty. Finally someone spotted some water and there was joy in the camp. However, this joy was quickly turned into sadness when it was discovered that the waters tasted bitter. Thankfully the waters did not remain bitter. God instructed Moses to throw a tree into the water and the water became clean. This place was still called Mara even though the water was cleansed. The name remained to remind the descendants of the Israelites forever after of the miracle of the healing of the water. They would always ask why sweet tasting water was called Mara and then the story of the miracle would be told.

This story – told by Mara Moore, concerning her brother, unfortunately does not have a happy ending like the waters at Mara, but I hope it serves as a warning to all young people, to not give Satan that finger. And remember it is a true story.

It was in the large living room of a mansion in the state of Missouri where, on a pleasant October evening, ten or twelve young people gathered from the richest families in the city. Among them was a young woman who, though she was always kind and social with other young people, was always wearing black clothing as a sign of mourning and sadness. She had also changed her name to Mara. This was not the name she was born with, but she had gone through such terrible grief and bitterness about seven or eight years earlier and was left without any family, that she decided to change her name.

The hours flew by and the young people were having a very pleasant evening until about half past ten in the evening, when one person pulled out a pack of cards and flung them on the table where Mara Moore was sitting. This person wanted to simply have a game of cards and this was his way of asking a few people to play with him. It just happened that Mara was sitting at the table near the place where the cards landed. Mara’s reaction was startling to everyone. Her face became deathly pale; she trembled, arose from her seat, staggered across the room, and sat down in a corner as far away from that table as she possibly could. Her turmoil was so great that everyone noticed it. They stopped what they were doing and just looked at her, wondering what was wrong.

One young person, who had been studying law for some time, did not imagine how serious was her anguish. He went over to her and started to tease her a little. He jokingly threatened her with a legal prosecution before the jury in case she refused to return to her place at the table, and submit to the rules of the evening. While the lawyer was urging her to return, a thoughtless young man of the company stepped up to them and placed a few cards in her hand. She jerked her hand away, and wiped them vigorously as if trying to get rid of the contaminating filth of the cards; and, with an agonizing scream, she began weeping and sobbing as if her heart would break.

Everyone was surprised at this new outburst; the lawyer realized his mistake and tried to soothe her wounded spirit. When Mara finally calmed down he, as well as everyone else, encouraged her to tell them all the reason for her terrible agitation. At first she did not want to tell them why she was so troubled, but when everyone urged her so strongly, she finally consented. At the first word a shudder passed through her entire body; she paused, regained her self-control and went on with her story:

“When I was nineteen years old, I was living in an Eastern city, in one of the happiest homes within its limits. A rich and kind father, with a loving and gentle mother, and as bright and true a brother as ever a sister could want, were my companions in the delightful home of my childhood. Wealth and comfort smiled upon us, and prophesied of future happiness, until, with my own hand, I brought down the greatest curse possible to my family.

“It happened that two of our cousins were visiting us, a brother and a sister.
We spent the evening in pleasant conversation as we did here this evening; and just as those cards were thrown upon the table, and at about the same hour, (my parents having gone to bed already), our cousin threw a deck of cards upon our table. They two and I sat down to play, while my dear and tenderly loved brother, not liking the idea of playing cards, turned to his music, which he was composing as a graduating exercise for examination day, and went to work at that. We three needed a fourth person in order to play the game properly, and we began trying to persuade my brother to come and take part with us; but he said he thought it was not right to waste time playing cards. He said that it was an amusement of the lowest character, and he did not want to get into it.

“We used all our arguments to encourage him to play with us, but he still refused to come and play. Finally I went to him, put my arm around his neck, and told him that I was a Christian, and was trying to get to heaven, and thought it no harm to play cards just for amusement; that I thought he ought to lay aside his scruples and come and help us, as we could not have fun with only three of us; besides he was being a little too fanatical, anyway. With these final words he arose from his seat, very reluctantly, and came, protesting all the way that he did not know how to play and didn’t really want to play. We told him we would teach him and he would quickly learn. And he did; only he learned too quickly. In no time at all he was as good as the rest of us; and when the rest of us had become tired of playing, he was so delighted with it that he sat for an hour studying the cards and shuffling them.
“We laughed heartily at him for his interest in the cards, and finally went to bed, leaving him with the cards. Next morning he took the cards again, and tried to encourage us to play with him; but our cousins had to go home, and soon left us, taking the deck of cards with them. But the fatal act had been done. That night my brother was in the city until a late hour, which was something he had never done before.

When he came home he seemed very sad. We tried to ask him what was wrong, but he refused to answer.
“The next night he was out again; and this continued for many nights, until his money – about two hundred dollars – was all gone. He then went to father for more, and, as he had great trust in his son, father very readily gave him quite a large amount of money without asking him what he was going to do with it. This was soon all gone. When he asked for more, father desired him to tell what he was doing with so much money. My brother would not give a direct answer so father only gave him a small amount of money this time, and told him he would not get any more unless he would give a clear report of the use he made of his money. This money was soon spent and when he went for more, but was unwilling to give account as to where the money went, father refused to give him more. With this refusal he became angry, and told father he would make him willing to let him have the money. My brother then went into the city again, and, as usual, into the gambling den, where he managed to get a little money. Sometimes he just went and watched. He didn’t come home for a whole week.

“During this time my mother neither ate nor slept; and when my brother was brought home drunk, she became so ill and went to bed, never getting up again, but died of a broken heart, within a few days.
“We hoped this would stop my brother’s course of action, but it did so only for a short time. He soon began gambling and drinking again; and, being young and not used to so much drink, it was not long before he was brought home in a trembling, delirious state. When this happened, Father took to his bed in sorrow. He too died of a broken heart, leaving my brother and myself alone in this world. O, how I wished I could die, too! But it seemed that God determined that I should see the end of my work in wrecking our family, and I was still alive, to reap the harvest of my own doings.

“I tried every thing possible to help my brother, but to no avail; and, 0, how I prayed for him! But it was of no use! He went even more rapidly down the way of ruin now that father was dead and out of his way. Only a few weeks after I had followed my father to his resting-place in the silent grave, my brother was brought home again in a state of delirium, and after suffering for a short time the most terrible agony, the poor boy died, and was laid in a drunkard’s grave. O how I prayed to God! Why was I ever born? Why cannot I die, too? But what will my eternity be for having thus ruined my own brother, the bright and beautiful boy! This is why I have changed my name to Mara.”

Soon after Mara began her sad story, some of the young people in the company began weeping; and when it was finished, they were all sobbing as if their hearts would break; and the eyes of all, both girls and boys, were moist. The cards had long since disappeared, and everyone in that company solemnly vowed to never again be guilty of engaging in that sport, but that they would always do their best to encourage others to also not take part in it. If they could, they would stamp this practice completely from society.

So you see Mara’s brother played only one small game of cards but we see where he ended up. Although the game did not affect Mara this way, she should not have tempted her brother. Everyone has a different weakness and while we may be strong in some points we should never lay a stumbling block in front of others, as we do not know how this “minor” sin will affect them. The best policy is to put away every sin and encourage our friends and loved ones to also put away every sin. Let’s not encourage each other to sin, as did Mara, but rather let’s encourage each other to put away sin.
AMEN.