Sorting Socks – Seeing Sin
Recently I found myself doing what needed to be done . . . that is, taking the clothes out of the dryer and returning them to where they belonged. Many of the items were my own, so I stopped to put them away. First I dumped the load on the bed, and sat down beside it, deciding the best place to begin was with the pile of socks that needed to be sorted and paired with their identical twin.
It didn’t take long to decide this job wasn’t going to be as simple as I thought. I began to stare at the various fabrics looking for distinctions in the colors, textures, and patterns. Tans from browns were easy. Black socks versus blue socks took a while longer.
The day was well spent so there was no sunlight to help. The light in the bedroom, though adequate for the everyday purposes, was less than I needed for this task.
The next day, when I opened the drawer to make a withdrawal . . . it was clear to me. I had made a decision without the proper light. The problem was right before me.
I got to thinking that what had happened with a pile of socks often happens to us when we are trying to make decisions. When we go with “what looks good” or “gut feelings” we are inclined to make a wrong decision. Often your eyes fool you. What looked right at one time can turn out to be truly wrong.
Now, that’s no problem if the only thing at issue is socks. Apart from what might be a mild fashion faux pas, nothing is really hurt but your pride. But when you make decisions based on you own thoughts or gut feelings . . . or what a lot of people like to call “common sense” . . . when it comes to the challenges of life, you can get yourself in deep water really quickly. You can be over your head, drowning in sin.
The Bible wisely says we should not trust our own wisdom, nor lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) But that’s what we do when we make decisions in the dark, without the light of the Word. The psalmist humbly wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NASB95) When we ask God for light, His Word can show us the way.
Swept Away
The other day, something momentous happened at our house. We got a new broom! The one we had previously was demoted to the garage, and the new one came in with all the fanfare deserving of a new Midwestern straw, wood-handled broom.
As I was taking the clear plastic wrapper off the business end of our new acquisition, I noticed the “instructions.” (No kidding, there really were instructions.) The maker of the broom had been kind enough to point out that in order to keep the broom in best sweeping condition, “turn the broom after each sweep.” I guess that’s so as to prevent the broom from getting bent in one direction . . . like a kid with a cowlick.
After being amused, I actually tried it. It may not sound like much, but it is awfully inconvenient to have to twist a broom after every stroke. It doesn’t take long before that really gets old.
I got to wondering what’s wrong with being bent in one direction anyway, so long as it is in the right direction? Too often it is that we fail to go in one direction. We start out with the desire to honor the Lord, but something comes along, and we are “swept” in the wrong direction. We succumb to nervousness and fail to speak up for the Lord to that person God has put on our heart . . . and are swept in the wrong direction.
There is something wonderfully right about being bent in one direction so long as it’s the right one. Take being bent towards the habit of prayer, or showing the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control which are the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
If you get a new broom, and you want to turn it every time you sweep . . . that’s between you and your broom. But be cautious not to be swept away from the single-minded devotion in one direction. Let a love for Jesus sweep you off your feet!