Frogs or Scorpions
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Through my thirteen summers at Greystone, every single time that I’ve heard “The Frog and the Scorpion” story, I cry. I am not talking just a little lump in the throat – I’m talking waterfall-tears-flowing-down-my-cheeks-onto-my-Comfort-Colors-tshirt.
And here is why: it is such TRUTH! The world is filled with scorpions. There are scorpions at your school that make other’s hearts hurt, or perhaps they simply don’t make you better at being you. But there are also kinder souls in this world. Souls that believe the best in you and love you unconditionally – these are your people. Find these people and hold on tight.
The Bible tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV). Now, this doesn’t mean to put your heart in a cage and throw away the key. It means to not give it away to people who don’t deserve it. That beautiful and joyful heart of yours is a wellspring of life! It should be protected from the scorpions that can deceit, harm, and tarnish it.
Here is how: who you surround yourself with makes all the difference. That is why we love the ‘Camp Bubble’ so much – we get to live with 500 friends who also have no interest in a scorpion way of living. But there are people of genuine goodness in your hometowns and schools too. If you surround yourself with goodness, goodness will follow you.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” This is just what we learn in the story of the Frog and the Scorpion. If you are a companion of scorpions, just like the frog became, you will only find harm. If you follow Camp Greystone on Twitter you might’ve seen this, but I think our very own Laura Hollowell said it best – “Don’t hang out with scorpions. Find friends who are supportive and kind!”
Sometimes it’s hard to leave a group of people, especially if they are all you’ve ever known. But if ever for a moment they don’t make your life a better place, spend time rejoicing in God’s word, or make you a lesser version of yourself – stepping away is a wise decision. Remember, “He who walks with the wise grows with the wise…”
Shauna Niequest said, “Some of the most life-shaping decisions you’ll make will be walking away from the good-enough in search of the can’t-live-without.” Walk away from scorpions and guard your heart. Find people who will love you well without conditions of popularity, looks, or boys. Join a youth group where people rejoice in the Lord’s word rather than Insta likes. Walk away from the good-enough and search for the can’t-live-without.
In this case, the “can’t-live-without” are friends that are Jesus lovin’, anti-scorpion, precious people. I promise you that they are there. I’ll close with this: “Wherever you may wander, whatever may be your goal… Keep your eye upon the donut, and not upon the hole.”