Have Your Standards Slipped?

Don't slip © blue sky via freeimages.com

I saw something tonight that inspired me to write. I saw someone who had let their standards down. They speak one thing out of their mouths, but their actions tell a different tale. Once this person got what they wanted, their standards have slipped. They are more lax about things than they used to be because it doesn't matter now. I don't have to be moral. I can let this slide. I can change my image just a little. I fit in now. 

They didn't say these things out loud, but the message is very clear. Some may not even notice a change, but I did. It left me heartbroken. I am sad because there are fewer and fewer people who live by any kind of standard. How long are we going to be comfortable with the way things are? How long are we going to be comfortable with how we are? When are we going to start raising the bar?

The first step is admitting that we have gotten slack in some areas. Someone told me, "The worst kind of deception is self-deception." I agree. My heart hurts because it's obvious this person doesn't realize they have let their standards slip. 

After this Sunday's message at my church, I have been evaluating my own life, asking for God to help me see the areas that I have quit doing what I know to do. I want to know the areas that I've allowed to grow dim. We are to be a light in the darkness, and we can't do that if we don't raise the bar in our lives.