Don’t Go There

Mama Said

Romans 8:28 ESV; Matthew 24:23-25 MSG

Mama said “don’t go there” a lot, but here’s the deal…it meant more than one thing.

Generally speaking when she said it to me, don’t go there meant I wasn’t allowed to go to a physical

place. She was pretty (well actually very) protective of me (because I was a girl) and I was only allowed to

go to a handful of places when I was younger.

At the time I thought it was a terrible “gyp” that my brother got to go many places I wasn’t allowed to go.

Later in life I appreciated it but I was very naive of the ways of the world when I was young.

I also noticed that when Mama said “don’t go there” to my brother those words meant something very

different. They argued a lot. They argued so much that I came to believe they did it because they loved to

argue. When mama said “don’t go there” to my brother it was a warning that he’d better not say

something he might regret.

The two of them made such a point of arguing about everything so much so that I figured out when they

were arguing I could go about my business without being noticed. It was wonderful. I learned to look for

the good in every situation. Later I found the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for

those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

As an adult when I went to graduate school and studied counseling I learned why they argued. It  was

because they are both Type A (A+) personality types.

Both of them had to be in charge.

Both had to win.

Neither would back down.

I also learned that my dad and I were both type B. We were laid back. We loved to write and draw

pictures. We really loved to draw silly pictures.

So, while my Mom and my brother were arguing, we were laughing at our silly pictures. I think that gave

me a desire to give my imagination free reign.

When my dad passed away I was 38 years old and I missed him terribly. Looking back I can now see that

it was my children who filled in the gap. They are all very creative and very funny.

In Matthew 24:23-25 we are warned, ‘don’t go there’ in reference to ‘don’t go there’

“If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it.

Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and

bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve

given you fair warning.”

Whether Don’t go there” is a physical place, an emotional place, or a warning not to believe false

statements it is a warning. It’s a warning we need to heed.

Deborah, acrazyjourney.com