When I was in elementary school, there was a boy in my class named Steve. Steve was a real troublemaker. No matter what the teacher said, he would do the opposite. He was always getting in fights, and doing things on the playground that he wasn't supposed to do. Not the kind of kid you'd want for a role model!

Speaking of rules, there was a rule on the playground (and a very sensible rule it was) that you weren't allowed to stand on the merry-go-round. You had to sit.

I remember very well a day that Jim decided he would not just stand on the merry-go-round, he would stand on top of the metal bars that we used as handholds. Right in the middle of the merry-go-round, he was going to stand, and then get dizzy spinning in circles.

Great idea, right??

Needless to say, his idea of a fun time didn't turn out to be very fun -- within seconds he was flat on his face, with a bloody nose and a very puffed up lip!

After he got "taken care of," the question was asked, "Why did you do that? Didn't you know it was against the rules?"

His answer? "Steve said it was okay to do that."

That makes me think of 1:1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;Psalms 1:1 which says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked." What kind of person asks a "troublemaker" for advice on what is right and what is wrong? A person who wants to do what is wrong. He knows the right answer, but he doesn't want to hear the right answer, so he asks the wrong person.

Jim knew very well what I would have told him if he had asked me...so he didn't ask me! And he suffered for it. Don't take counsel from troublemakers...you'll eventually regret it!