We all have that one thing…
That one thing we wish we could change.
That one thing we wish we didn’t have.
That one thing we wish we didn’t do.
That one characteristic we wish we didn’t display.
That one hangup that we wish we could overcome.
We all have that one thing…………….
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This is a guest post by Michael Perkins.
Michael is an ordinary guy who sometimes types on a keyboard and sometimes writes by hand on paper. You can follow him on twitter @MichaelDPerkins or read his blog called Untitled.
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Recently, I have noticed something about myself that I’m not sure that I want to admit. I was at work sitting at my desk and my allergies were acting up. I did what any normal person would do: I blew my nose. Here’s where it took a turn for the worse. I looked at the tissue after blowing my nose.
This isn’t the first time that this has happened. Nearly every time I blow my nose I tell myself, “Don’t look.” And then I end up looking. And then I regret it, because it’s gross and I have a weak stomach.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
We all have those “dirty tissues” in our lives that we are tempted to look at or return to.
Pornography can be a dirty tissue.
Lying can be a dirty tissue.
Jealousy can be a dirty tissue.
Drugs and alcohol can be a dirty tissue.
Eating habits can be a dirty tissue.
I know it’s tough. I know that sometimes it feels hopeless. I know that sometimes it feels like that the only thing we can do is look at our dirty tissue. But I also know this: God has told us that He will provide a way out. God has said that He will be there for us. God is faithful.
Look for Him and you’ll find your way out.
You are not alone in your struggles.
Do you have any dirty tissues that you have been tempted to look at?
We’ve all been there…
Times when we knew what we were supposed to do,
but had so much trouble actually doing it.
Times when we knew how we should handle a situation,
but also knew what would be more profitable for us.
Times when we knew that we were crossing a line,
but wanted what was on the other side so bad,
we decided it didn’t matter.
No matter how dedicated you are to your faith,
how old you are,
how many times you’ve been there,
it can still be difficult…
Very difficult!
It’s been a problem that’s been going on since the beginning of Creation…
Eve knew that she shouldn’t eat from the tree,
but what it offered looked so much better than what she had.
The Israelites knew that they were supposed to be dedicate to the True God,
but what the false “gods” offered looked more appealing.
David knew that the adultery that he was about to commit would hurt him big time,
but immediate satisfaction seemed more desirable at the time.
Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah,
but the fear of what would happened if he admitted to following seemed too big for him to be faithful.
Paul even dealt with this problem…
Romans 7:15 says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
I don’t mention all of these examples so that we’ll feel better the next time we cross an obvious line.
I make these mentions to show you that WE can be different.
We can make the right choice today.
We can choose the right over the easy.
We can choose the godly over immediate satisfaction.
We can choose faithfulness over selfishness.
When I was a kid, I loved to eat.
Even more than I do now.
My parents had no problem with me eating (I was a big boy), but they didn’t like me eating at certain times.
One of those “no eat” times was before dinner.
Starting about an hour before dinner, I wasn’t supposed to eat anything.
Every now and then, I’d still try to sneak something out of the kitchen to eat while I was sitting on the couch.
When Mom or Dad would walk into the room, I’d stick whatever I had between the seat cushions.
The wrappers from whatever I was eating would go down there too.
I knew I was doing something wrong, so I tried my best to hide it.
I did a great job, for a little while.
Until the remote or something would get under the couch and my Dad would have to lean the couch over to get it.
Or until the food and the wrappers began to stink enough to become noticeable.
My point…
Some people are still sticking stuff in the couch cushions.
You have that secret,
that thing that know one knows,
that thing that would change others’ opinion of you if they found out.
You have that thing that you’re hiding from everyone:
Your kids, your parents, your spouse, your family, your friends.
You’ve tucked it down in the cushion for so long, sometimes you even forget that it’s down there.
You’ve been doing it so long, it doesn’t even feel that wrong any more…but you still hide it.
The only way that you’re ever going to quit or get out is with the help of someone that loves you.
So…
Lean the couch over.
Confess your sin to God.
Confess your sin to someone you trust that can help you work through it.
Because…
As I learned as a child, only so much can be stuffed in the cushions before it starts becoming noticeable.
Let God clean up the mess.
