Perhaps you know the phrase, “Keep it between the ditches”. It has been used in popular culture, including in this song by Drive By Truckers:

Doug Kershaw also has a song titled “Keep Between Them Ditches” which was used in the Dukes of Hazard.   You can listen to a clip here.

On either side of the road there is trouble. In between, there is plenty of room to move. You can adjust your speed. And some ditches are deeper than others. In what ways are our attempts at finding a moral compass, in scripture or otherwise, reflected in the spirit of this phrase? The ditches do not control or determine behavior, but they do suggest some constraints. Of course you can drive into the ditch if you want, but you might damage your car, and worse.

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* Notes for Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20