Matthew knows he should never play with fire. He does not want to get hurt. Neither does he want to hurt others.

Instead, Matthew may become a fireman when he grows up. Rather than play with fire, he hopes to prevent and put out fires.

No one should play with fire.

It is both dangerous and foolish. Most of us would never play with a physical fire. Yet, many of us play with fire in other ways. We take risks when we:

• Choose bad relationships
• Cheat
• Disobey the law
• Practice bad health habits

When we play with fire, we get burned.

 We may:

• Hurt or lose those we love
• Gain a bad reputation
• Go to jail
• Suffer poor health

Instead, let’s prevent or put out fires when we can.

Let’s watch our steps, make good choices, and help others do the same.

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27 NIV)

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Photo courtesy of Tammy Seyfried.