A man’s home was being overrun with mice. There were so many mice, the man didn’t think ordinary traps would be enough, so he decided to go with the poison route. He set out a box of poisonous food. That night there was a feeding frenzy. The mice completely overwhelmed the food and cleaned out the box by morning. The homeowner put out a second box and the same event unfolded the next night. After the third night, the man’s house remained quiet and free of mice.

Why did this poisonous food work so well? It wasn’t just that it appealed to the mince, it was that all the mice saw the others joining in. They couldn’t be the only one left out. So a feeding frenzy occurred. In a sense, the poison became popular.  The result of this popularity was death.

Popularity can be dangerous without a moral compass. We follow today’s trends, fads, and worldly mindsets so willingly because that is what is popular. We stand for or against certain viewpoints because that is what has become popular. We decide to “restudy” Biblical issues through a modern cultural lens. It’s hard to go against the grain.

The problem is, these popular can often be interlaced with spiritual poison. They may promote lust, greed, and materialism. They might directly stand in opposition to Scripture. They may even directly encourage and entice sin. Tragically, we can fall into the same popularity trap as the mice. And the result will be worse because we should know better and we aren’t mindless rodents.

As Christ said in Mark 8:36-37, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” The things that are popular in this life could be the very things causing us to forfeit our souls in the next life. It just isn’t worth it. May we always seek to be popular in God’s eyes, not in the eyes of our culture.

Brett Petrillo