Today I woke up to the sound of rain as I heard it out my window. When I looked out the front door I was drawn to the beauty found in the splashes of ocean that covered the streets. On my way to work today I drove through these puddles and splashes and suddenly found my self spinning a 180 as the car turned too sharply. In that moment I was reminded of two things: Repentance and Eternity.
I remembered what I thought about those puddles at the start of my day: beautiful, alluring, and inviting. But after the water that once reflected the sky was brown on my windshield I realized that it didn’t offer much of what it initially enticed. The puddles that I once thought were beautiful, alluring, and inviting were now seen as deceiving. The fact that my car spun a 180 reminded me of repentance, because that is what repentance is; a complete turn away from sin to the other direction. The puddles by no means are sinful, or causing me to sin, but there are so many times that I am enticed by tempting things that promise happiness and satisfaction, but once I indulge I realize that it was a lie, and what I once thought would make me happy offers none of the beauty that it promised. The only one who offers true happiness and satisfaction is God, and the only reason I ever experience happiness and satisfaction is because of God. I am encouraged by John Piper’s statement about sin, “We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself." When I am tempted to believe the lie that sinning would be more satisfying, I want to remember the little lesson I learned today about the puddles: it looks beautiful, but it is really just an illusion that in reality is full of toxins. Sin is Toxic to my soul!
After I did that 180 and my car was stopped with one of my front wheels up on the center divider, I looked out in front of me and laughed as there was about a dozen cars that saw the whole thing. Not a single car moved, and there was no facial expression seen on their faces. They all watched me as I reversed to drive my car off of the curb and then turned around to continue my way to work. Once I was back on track I was so thankful that the Lord protected me and that there were no other cars around me that I could have hit. I was reminded of how short life is and that if the Lord wills; the next minute, hour, or day could be my last on earth. I look forward to being with the Lord and the thought of dying doesn’t scare me, but I know that I never want to live in eternity regretting a wasted life and today’s little experience reminded me to live each day fully for God’s glory. As I drove away I had this desire to sit low in my seat, because I was a bit embaressed. When I approached the next red signal light the person in the car next to me just starred. The part of me wanted to sink low in my seat was amplified, but reminded me of the tendency I have when I sin and people see it, or even when I am afraid of repenting and seeking full reconcilliation because it hurts my pride. May I get over my self, stop looking in the mirror, start thinking about others, and how I can love them, because my mighty God loves me and I want others to experience His love through me! Fearing man would be a regret that I would have in eternity, because it so often keeps me from loving others, especially when that means loving them through seeking their forgiveness for how I have sinned against them. May I stop living in fear and live for Christ!
To sum it all up: I want to be more aware of the false “attractiveness” that sin allures and I want to live each day for Christ, because His time for me on earth is in His hands!
I remembered what I thought about those puddles at the start of my day: beautiful, alluring, and inviting. But after the water that once reflected the sky was brown on my windshield I realized that it didn’t offer much of what it initially enticed. The puddles that I once thought were beautiful, alluring, and inviting were now seen as deceiving. The fact that my car spun a 180 reminded me of repentance, because that is what repentance is; a complete turn away from sin to the other direction. The puddles by no means are sinful, or causing me to sin, but there are so many times that I am enticed by tempting things that promise happiness and satisfaction, but once I indulge I realize that it was a lie, and what I once thought would make me happy offers none of the beauty that it promised. The only one who offers true happiness and satisfaction is God, and the only reason I ever experience happiness and satisfaction is because of God. I am encouraged by John Piper’s statement about sin, “We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself." When I am tempted to believe the lie that sinning would be more satisfying, I want to remember the little lesson I learned today about the puddles: it looks beautiful, but it is really just an illusion that in reality is full of toxins. Sin is Toxic to my soul!
After I did that 180 and my car was stopped with one of my front wheels up on the center divider, I looked out in front of me and laughed as there was about a dozen cars that saw the whole thing. Not a single car moved, and there was no facial expression seen on their faces. They all watched me as I reversed to drive my car off of the curb and then turned around to continue my way to work. Once I was back on track I was so thankful that the Lord protected me and that there were no other cars around me that I could have hit. I was reminded of how short life is and that if the Lord wills; the next minute, hour, or day could be my last on earth. I look forward to being with the Lord and the thought of dying doesn’t scare me, but I know that I never want to live in eternity regretting a wasted life and today’s little experience reminded me to live each day fully for God’s glory. As I drove away I had this desire to sit low in my seat, because I was a bit embaressed. When I approached the next red signal light the person in the car next to me just starred. The part of me wanted to sink low in my seat was amplified, but reminded me of the tendency I have when I sin and people see it, or even when I am afraid of repenting and seeking full reconcilliation because it hurts my pride. May I get over my self, stop looking in the mirror, start thinking about others, and how I can love them, because my mighty God loves me and I want others to experience His love through me! Fearing man would be a regret that I would have in eternity, because it so often keeps me from loving others, especially when that means loving them through seeking their forgiveness for how I have sinned against them. May I stop living in fear and live for Christ!
To sum it all up: I want to be more aware of the false “attractiveness” that sin allures and I want to live each day for Christ, because His time for me on earth is in His hands!
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