I was so proud of myself. I thought I had made it through! But as Proverbs 16:18 warns, I was only preparing myself for a fall. You see, I had made the poor decision of going into a barbeque restaurant wearing a white shirt before speaking at a church. Since I was alone, they would only seat me at the bar, which increased the difficulty level. As a “teetotaler” who is not tempted in the least by alcohol, it would not bother me to sit out at the bar, especially since I could sit in front of four TVs showing football games. I needed to eat efficiently, so I did not opt for the ribs. However, for some reason, I did get fries, which, of course, were doused in burnt ends with sauce. (I was definitely not complaining.)
Less than thirty minutes later, I was checking my still immaculate white shirt, not a drip of sauce anywhere. As I was congratulating myself on my success, I noticed it. There on my left cuff a pinpoint speck of sweet and smokey BBQ sauce. I was devastated! I would go to the church with a stained shirt to make my presentation. They would not know, but I would. Sounds a little bit like sin, doesn’t it? At least, that’s how it begins. A tiny little speck, a minor indiscretion. Unnoticed by all but ourselves.
Our “success” in going unnoticed seems to embolden us to take bigger and bigger risks until there is less “white shirt clean” and more red-stained BBQ sauce, so much so that we have even forgotten the original color of the shirt. These are sins not only of commission but those sins of omission as well. An excuse left unchecked – “I forgot” to take the trash out – creates a habit of never remembering, even after the trash can is overwhelmed by our forgetting and failing to develop the appropriate response. I say this not to be critical of any of us but as a friendly reminder that certain events will come, no matter how much you think you have evaded them.
I know I need to give more to the church. I know I need to get a Will or Trust to help my family. You may think your efforts to avoid such actions will cause them to end their pursuit of you, but one day, they will catch up, and it will be too late. As we move toward the end of the year, why not take the first step in preparation and reach out to us at the MBF? We can help you create a plan. Let’s make it our New Year’s resolution to stop avoiding what you know needs to be done so you can claim real success.
By the way, the stain came out, just like Jesus makes our scarlet sin white as snow. Aren’t you glad He still does? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at the Missouri Baptist Foundation!