Little Stuff...BIG Problem
As a child my family always had an artificial tree at Christmas. This was also the case for one of my best friends, Bill, but on one particular Christmas he decided to put an end to the artificial tree tradition at his home. Certain that his parents would not be on board with the idea, he decided it would be best to implement his plan while they were out of town. He and I set out, with saws in hand, to find the perfect Christmas tree for their home. Many of the trees we were looking at just seemed too small to make the cut. We looked and debated and were finally confident that we had found not only the perfect size tree, but a perfectly shaped one as well.
Upon arriving at his house we began to attempt to maneuver the tree so that it would fit through the door. It soon became apparent that although the tree we had chosen appeared to be perfect it was in fact gigantic and there was no way that the tree would make it inside without a little work. After much cutting and trimming (maybe I should say sawing and hacking-) on the tree we were able to get it inside. Unfortunately, the tree once beautiful now looked a mess.
I learned that day that our perspective of size is often distorted. Just like that tree looked perfect to fit inside a house with 8 foot ceilings in reality it was significantly larger than we ever imagined. I wonder if our perspective regarding the "size" of our sin is distorted as well. Certainly in the eyes of God sin is sin, but I think that we tend to feel thankful, maybe even prideful, that we are not guilty of the "big sins" like stealing, adultery or murder.
The real question becomes how are we dealing with the "little" sins? These sins may be hard for us to identify, but in our minds they often become easy to justify. Many would not think that it is a problem to cheat on their taxes, steal office supplies from work, download illegal software or to take brief glimpses of inappropriate photos on the internet. We often don't think twice about telling that little white lie, being jealous, getting angry at the driver in front of us, keeping too much change, padding the expense account, lying on a resume, gossiping or making fun of other people.
There is a problem with these "little" sins-they don't stay "little" for long. Satan uses deception to make us think that these "little" sins are harmless and aren't hurting anything or anyone when in reality they may be the beginning of a big problem. I am reminded of the passage in 1 Cor 5:6 that talks about how a little leven (yeast) quickly spreads through a batch of dough. In this same way one "little" sin affects our whole being by opening the door for "big" sins to follow right behind. When we dismiss the " little" sins we are training our conscious to accept behaviour that is unacceptable.
I am reminded of a quote that a co-worker shared with me:
Sow a thought-and you will reap an act;
Sow an act-and you will reap a habit;
Sow a habit-and you will reap a character;
Sow a character-and you will reap a destiny.
We must be on guard against the carelessness of "little" sins. Let's ask God today to show us those areas of sin that somehow have gone unnoticed and help us have an accurate perspective on all sin in our life.
Upon arriving at his house we began to attempt to maneuver the tree so that it would fit through the door. It soon became apparent that although the tree we had chosen appeared to be perfect it was in fact gigantic and there was no way that the tree would make it inside without a little work. After much cutting and trimming (maybe I should say sawing and hacking-) on the tree we were able to get it inside. Unfortunately, the tree once beautiful now looked a mess.
I learned that day that our perspective of size is often distorted. Just like that tree looked perfect to fit inside a house with 8 foot ceilings in reality it was significantly larger than we ever imagined. I wonder if our perspective regarding the "size" of our sin is distorted as well. Certainly in the eyes of God sin is sin, but I think that we tend to feel thankful, maybe even prideful, that we are not guilty of the "big sins" like stealing, adultery or murder.
The real question becomes how are we dealing with the "little" sins? These sins may be hard for us to identify, but in our minds they often become easy to justify. Many would not think that it is a problem to cheat on their taxes, steal office supplies from work, download illegal software or to take brief glimpses of inappropriate photos on the internet. We often don't think twice about telling that little white lie, being jealous, getting angry at the driver in front of us, keeping too much change, padding the expense account, lying on a resume, gossiping or making fun of other people.
There is a problem with these "little" sins-they don't stay "little" for long. Satan uses deception to make us think that these "little" sins are harmless and aren't hurting anything or anyone when in reality they may be the beginning of a big problem. I am reminded of the passage in 1 Cor 5:6 that talks about how a little leven (yeast) quickly spreads through a batch of dough. In this same way one "little" sin affects our whole being by opening the door for "big" sins to follow right behind. When we dismiss the " little" sins we are training our conscious to accept behaviour that is unacceptable.
I am reminded of a quote that a co-worker shared with me:
Sow a thought-and you will reap an act;
Sow an act-and you will reap a habit;
Sow a habit-and you will reap a character;
Sow a character-and you will reap a destiny.
We must be on guard against the carelessness of "little" sins. Let's ask God today to show us those areas of sin that somehow have gone unnoticed and help us have an accurate perspective on all sin in our life.
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