A farm family had a pet parrot they called Polly. It was very good at talking mimicking many of the words it heard spoken. Though a great favorite of the house, it was the special pet of the farmer’s little daughter, Sarah. She spent hours talking to and lovingly caring for Polly. It was never allowed to leave its cage, unless someone held it. And even then all the windows and doors were kept closed.
Near the house, Sarah’s parents kept a large garden which supplied much of their fruit and vegetables each year. Unfortunately, there were thieves a large flock of black crows in the area, who frequently stole from the garden.
Sarah’s dad tried many things to keep the robbers away, but scarecrows (no matter how scary they looked) failed. Their dog, tied near the garden, did not help, for the crows learned that he could not get into the garden. Since it was impossible for anyone to guard it each day, the crows kept stealing.
One day, when Sarah was holding Polly outside of its cage, the parrot managed to escape. Flying through the house, it found an open window and was gone.
Searching for Polly proved futile, and though Sarah left the cage door open on the porch with plenty of food, never once did Polly come near it.
One morning after this happened, Sarah’s father, exasperated at seeing the large flock of crows back in the garden, took his shotgun into the yard and fired it at them. The flock wildly took flight, with the exception of one poor bird who lay on the ground slowly flapping its broken wing. Beginning to feel a bit bad about what he had done, Sarah’s dad walked over to the bird, and to his surprise and grief saw that it was none other than Polly, the lost parrot! Gently picking the wounded bird up and placing it inside his jacket, he said sadly, “Poor, poor, foolish Polly! See what comes of keeping bad company!”
Seeing what had happened, Sarah came running to meet her dad, crying, “Oh Daddy, how could Polly have gotten hurt like that? How could it have happened?” Her dad was about to answer when Polly slowly poked its head out of his jacket and squawked: “Bad company... bad company!”
God’s Word says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:3333Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33)). If Christians walk with those who do not love the Lord Jesus, their “good manners” will soon be changed into naughty ways. Christian habits do not change the wicked heart of men. Instead, unbelievers’ bad manners spoil the good conduct of Christians.
You may want to read all of Psalm 1, which begins, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
Ed.