The Accumulation of Sin

This morning, after a great day off, I arose ready to conquer the world. (Well, at least I conquered the task of opening the bedroom door. You see, I'm not a morning person at all!) As I wondered though the wasteland of the living room toward the kitchen, a strange comparison of the desert southwest and my living room came to mind. It looked as though there was life there once, but now only a few scattered plates and glasses were testaments to bygone days. A newspaper rested half opened as if someone had begun to start reading in and suddenly vanished; gone forever. My foot kicked up a wadded up paper from homework struggles and it rolled across the carpet like a wandering sagebrush.

        My first reaction was, "Won't those children put away any dishes?" Just then, I moved into the kitchen and walked right into a surprise party. Every dish in the cabinets had jumped onto the counter tops yelling, "Surprise, we're all here to say hello." Hmmm, yes the children did bring dishes back into the kitchen. At least until the safe occupancy limit was reached. The others had to wait outside, pacing (Yes, pacing! Hey, if Veggietales can have feet, so can my dishes.) for their moment to be let in. I let out a sigh as I opened the dishwasher to start unloading its contents. "But where did they all come from?"

        My mind wandered back across the weekend trying to decide when we had thrown a party I missed. I was a bit perturbed. After all, I enjoy having fun, too. But as best I could remember, there was no party. No, the kids were kind of busy over the weekend and Kim was prepping for a class she had to teach on Monday. I know she had no time for a party. And Kim's working with the children on the Christmas play would have ruled out Sunday. And I certainly had no party. I was feeling a bit ill over the weekend. Hey, there wasn't a party! Who broke in and messed up our house?

        I'm sure you know who caused the mess up the house. We did, all of us. We just didn't seem to have the time to clean it up as we made it. Hmmm, no wonder Kim gives me that look every once in a while. After a party, cleanup is part of the plans. It's so big, you notice it right away. But little things just keep backing up and getting pushed to one side. And believe it or not, that got me thinking about little sins in our lives.

        The big sins, like party leftovers are so noticeable you feel like you have to deal with them immediately. "Ooh, that was bad, I gotta ask for forgiveness on that one!" But the little sins; a cross word said in haste, walking on by someone who needs help you're able to give or even a mean thought on the highway, (uh-oh, that just got me between the eyes.) can pile up on you without your noticing it. "Hmmm, that wasn't too bad, I just won't do it again." And though seemingly insignificant by themselves, they add up over time until your life is a mess. And then you catch yourself thinking, "What happened, who messed up my life?"

        Jesus taught his disciples to never let sin build up in their lives. "If you go to the altar to sacrifice yet have unresolved issues between you and your brother; go, leave the sacrifice at the altar and resolve the problem." The same is true today. We are called to live holy and clean lives for God. When you catch yourself in a small sin, take it where it belongs; resolve with the person you are angry at, stop and go back to help that person who needs you, ask God for forgiveness for  the thoughts you have had. Whatever the sin was, deal with it immediately. 

        By living in a manner such as this, it will be easier to keep our temples to God clean and holy. Your spirits will be lifted and life will be much easier. And think how much more ready to meet Jesus we'll be when we next see him. Think about it, would you rather clean your own house, or have Jesus do it for you? I don't now about you, but I'd rather clean it myself. Jesus has already done more than enough for me!