Last week Lauri and I were able to get away for a short camping trip — just two nights — but it was good to have a bit of down-time and relax. We camped at Punderson State Park which is located close to Chardon, Ohio. Punderson is a very nice campground with many activities and our corner campsite was spacious and comfortable. The weather was beautiful. Not only did we not need to use our air conditioner, we actually had to turn on the heater at night — perfect camping weather.
There was just one problem… mosquitos! WHAT THE WORLD! Those little buggers were EVERYWHERE! Seriously, there were way more of them than we have at our home. And they were vicious… sneaky… persistent little buggers. Typically mosquitos don’t bother me overly much… but at Punderson… even wearing a thick layer of bug spray… and even during the day… those little blood suckers were a pestilence. Someone once famously said, “Noah could have saved us a lot of frustration with a simple swat of his hand.” Were there mosquitos on the ark? I doubt it, because who can stand the little vampires. Even Noah’s patience would have been tried.
Still, Lauri and I had a good time being together. But that Friday I arrived home to another pestilence… geese. Geese haven’t plagued us much over the last few years, but this year they are sure trying my patience. You might think they are no big deal, but geese are noisy and messy. They leave feathers and… other things… all over the place! And when I returned home they had taken up residence in my backyard.
After I had sicced Molly on them… yes… I am that heartless toward geese… and rushed down the backyard at them myself like Aragorn charging the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings, waving my big stick and shouting insults at those geese… it THEN occurred to me that some of my neighbors across the lake might have been watching my barbaric tantrum. But, at least, the pesky geese are gone now.
Mosquitos and geese… who needs them? Life would be so much better without them — at least in my opinion. Sure, they are a small nuisance when you consider the larger problems of our world… I get that… but even little irritations can be so frustrating in life.
You know, this week my mosquito and goose problems reminded me of some sins that can rear their ugly heads in my life. Sometimes I tend to think that if I can avoid the “big” sins in life that I must be doing ok. Avoid adultery, cheating, lying and hate and I am doing better than most other people in the world. But sometimes it’s the little things that push us away from being like Christ.
In the past I have called these sins “necessary sins.” They are “necessary” because… well… everyone does them… and they are hard to avoid… and they really aren’t that bad… certainly not when compared to the biggies, or so we think. Gossip, slander, grumbling, being judgmental, anger… surely they don’t carry the same weight as adultery and murder.
Yet any sin left unchecked in our life becomes more than a simple nuisance in our spiritual walk because, in reality, it hinders the Holy Spirit from accomplishing His life-changing work within us. Paul wrote, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” Galatians 4:30-31 NLT
So, dear Jesus, help me avoid the misstep of assuming “necessary” sins are ok… help me to root out everything in my life that would be displeasing to you. Holy Spirit move and work in my life! Now… about those geese…
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