Skip to main content

Catch and Release

When I was about 10, I had to sell candy bars to help raise money for the cub scouts. As I left my house to go door to door, I had an amazing idea. I would drop the candy bars near the houses and sidewalks so people wouldn't have to buy them. You know, Bob comes out to get the morning paper and discovers an extra delivery. Shirley hears a knock on her door and finds two Milky Ways on her welcome mat, "Praise God."

Part of me felt that it was a good thing to do, but another part knew it wasn't right. I went with the part that thought it was good. Later that evening, we got a couple phone calls from neighbors wondering why there were candy bars scattered all over the place. Needless to say, my parents had me in a room with three chairs, a small table, and a dangling light in a matter of minutes. It didn't take long 'til I ended up confessing that I did it on purpose and not by accident like I'd originally pled. Of course, I had to pay for every one that wasn't recovered. For a ten-year-old, that's a lot of sugar, if you know what I mean.

Sin is always wrapped in something sweet, isn't it? But as many of us know and have found out, the center isn't soft, marshmallowy goodness. Instead, there's a barbed hook just waiting to cut and tear the one that's biting into it. It's not just the one that sins that feels the pain though, because while the hook is lodged in, it affects what God is trying to do through that person. Sin disables.

I know what you're thinking. Comparing a ten-year-old boy giving out some candy to barbed hooks lodging into us seems extreme. Maybe it is. But maybe these seemingly harmless mess-ups are where it all begins. Maybe this is the very reason we keep going for them. We keep thinking and telling ourselves it's not a big deal. What and who is it really going to hurt? It's in these moments that we believe the lie that we know more, that we know what's best.

How serious do you take sin? How do you approach it, react to it, recover from it? What are some of the thoughts that come through the process of dealing with it personally? I think we need to make sure that we're getting closer to viewing sin as God views it. We need to make sure we're not taking grace and forgiveness for granted - that we're not taking the money without really reading the card.

What are you constantly chasing, sinking your teeth into? Is there something that you're doing that you know just isn't right, but since the neighbors aren't calling, you're not changing your plea? What are you watching and looking at when no one's looking or watching you? What are you saying about those who aren't around to hear it? What are you thinking about when your mind wanders? Maybe it's time to come clean. Maybe it's time for you to blow the whistle on yourself, set up the chairs, switch on the light, and change your original story.

We need to ask ourselves what takes us so long to reveal our hook. Why do we hide it, ignore it, and justify it? Why do we think we can keep going like we've done nothing wrong - like it's not affecting us? These aren't questions that we should answer quickly. These are questions we need to bring before God - the same God who despises sin so much that He can't even look at it, and yet allowed his very own Son to become it. This is where we need to find ourselves: humbly coming before the cross, laying down our sin, and believing that Jesus is able to remove it. Like a fisherman who from time to time enjoys the simple art of catching and releasing, we find Jesus removing hooks, mending the wounds and releasing us to go and sin no more.

Please, be caught so that you can be released. Go back to the hands that created you so that you can be healed again. As you go, find others that will help you steer clear of the temptation to drop a few candy bars.

Romans 2:4
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Comments

Anonymous said…
It seems to be so much harder to "come clean" as an adult; kids have no choice when brought to mom and dad for interrogation -- they've been busted, and now it's time to pay up. As adults, we need to police ourselves, so it's much easier to sweep the "little white sins" under the rug. Having an accountability partner, a prayer partner, or just a friend to confide in can help immensely with any sins or weaknesses we have trouble staying away from, if we can let ourselves admit these things to another person to begin with! And don't worry, Josh -- if your candy bars had been found by the girls a couple doors down instead of all the grownups, we'd have kept your secret safe forever!

Popular posts from this blog

Stitched

When I was around twelve, I had gone to the beach with my youth group for a weekend retreat. As we were throwing the Frisbee around, I heard a bunch of commotion coming from the boardwalk. When I looked, I saw this large group of twentysomethings laughing and pointing at something. It looked like whatever it was must have been behind where we were. I started looking around to see what it could have been, but couldn't find anything worthy of such hysteria. And then I realized what it was...it was me. Everyone on the beach and boardwalk had now fixed their eyes on me. It felt like someone had just punched me in the gut and left their fist inside me. They were making fun of my weight and how skinny I was, shouting and pointing for what seemed to be an eternity. The only thing I knew to do was to ask for the Frisbee, "Jeff! Jeff! Throw it here." And then I did the unthinkable. I ran over to the guy doing most of the pointing and shouting, and I attempted to shove the Frisbee ...

Unlocked Shackles

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me." Exodus 10:3 To this day, whenever I hear or read the story of the Israelites being held hostage by Pharaoh, my mind automatically starts shooting off questions like, "Seriously, Pharaoh, the plague of boils and frogs weren’t enough to convince you that just maybe there was a higher power working through Moses?" As a boy I would imagine things that might have changed his mind - like maybe little leprechauns dropping from the sky or baseball bats. The fact is there was nothing that would have softened his heart enough to let them go. Why? Because at some time, at some point he believed the lie that he was in control; that he was king; that submission was something only other (lower) people did. As I was reading through this event again, I noticed something that I had never seen before. In Ex...

Popcorn

When I first started dating my wife, I would do anything not to embarrass myself. But as many of us know and have found out at least a few times in our lives, that is an impossible task. The most humiliating moment came at a movie theater soon after Nicki and I started seeing each other. We had gotten our seats and were comfortable, when I decided I would go out and get us some popcorn and a drink while the advertisements were playing. When I got back, the lights had been turned down and the movie was just getting started. Now, our seats were on the other side, so I had to walk across the front to get to them. Somehow I tripped, causing popcorn to fly in the air and land all over the people in the front row. Laughing, clapping, snorts, and cheers ensued while I speed walked to my seat. I was hoping that she didn't see or hear what happened. But with all the commotion (and only a few pieces of popcorn left in the giant bag), I knew I would have some serious explaining to do. But no...