Flee the World
Flee the World
By Angela Halliday
Last week was spring break for my teenage boys. My husband and I had some points we needed to use for our vacation club, and our older son is graduating this year, so we thought, “Let’s get away!” for one last spring break with him. My husband decided to work in the room, while the boys and I played and relaxed. Thing is….the resort was in Las Vegas.
At home and in church, we have been studying the story of Joseph from the Old Testament over the past few weeks. I’ve contemplated on the many lessons we learn from Joseph’s stories. His is quite the tale! One of the lessons that I’ve been thinking about is how he fled Potiphar’s wife.
Why did he flee so quickly, leaving some of his clothing behind? Potiphar’s wife clearly was enamored with him-a handsome, charismatic, strong young man (in his late teens or early 20’s) running her husband’s household. After her initial proposition and Joseph’s emphatic “NO,” and his reasoning with her, she continued to harass him until one day she caught him alone.
Many times in just a few verses (Genesis 39), we’re told that the Lord was with Joseph. Joseph knew who he was, whose he was, and just what that meant. Joseph had made sacred covenants, been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, and desired to live the Lord’s law (particularly the law of chastity here). He could not defile himself by compromising his (and the Lord’s) standards. When he realized he was in a dangerous place, full of wickedness, he fled. That means he removed himself from that horrid situation immediately and got away.
Now, I know many wonderful people from Las Vegas, so I’m certainly not condemning the area as a whole, but there are a few places there (particularly much of the Strip and Downtown) that clearly drive the Spirit away. The open pornography, the haze of pot, the language of filth, the debauchery in flaunting display, and general loud laughter suffocate the pockets of good. Sure, the fountains at Bellagio are beautiful, the fun of M&M World is diverting, and maybe even some of the shows are uplifting (Donny Osmond, anyone? ), but as we were walking down the Strip, my boys said, “Are our eyes bloodshot yet? Could we pass a drug test right now?” And as we were watching the amazing light show and great live bands on Fremont Street, we could not help but be distracted by all the other negatives surrounding us. At that moment, I suddenly thought of Joseph. Let us FLEE! We could not bear one more word, one more look, one more smell of the world! So we fled.
We gratefully enjoyed many positive moments, like the Las Vegas temple, Hoover Dam, a trampoline gym, a local ward’s church services, swimming, reading, working out, good meals, and a musical (no, not Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ). But….for the few moments we spent dipping our toes in the more “exciting” Vegas areas, the Spirit warned…”Get thee hence.” It’s like dangling my amazing boys over the viper’s pit! Why, oh why, would I want to subject them to the danger?
So, thanks Joseph for fleeing.
Flee evil. Flee suggestive lyrics; flee programs calling evil good; flee those who flaunt the sacred; flee those things that could trap us into addictions…. FLEE!
“If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” (Article of Faith 13)
