So as I was going to the refrigerator in our kitchen to get some water, I saw that someone had dropped something made of glass from a height of sufficient magnitude to cause a force greater than the structural integrity of the glass object at the point where it collided with the ground (haba ng explanation ‘no?... in short, sa ilalim ng lamesa).It appeared to have been a coffee mug, or some very muddy looking chocolate drink. Either way, having stepped on broken glass in bare feet before, I felt the need to clean it up, because stepping on broken glass sucks. I later found out that one of my kids (Kaiel, the twins or Danae) was the culprit.
So I strolled over to where my wife Alice was, and informed her of the predicament. She was very convincing when she told me that I should take care of it because the kids are in the room studying. So, after debating with myself if I should do it or not, I meandered back to the kitchen, past my wife, and laid down some paper towels to soak up the coffee,. I had learned later on, that it was in fact a spilled coffee in a mug that I had unintentionally left unfinished, that one of my kids had accidentally dropped while trying to clean up the table (I know..it’s my fault, so no judging, ok?).
Then I set about the work of cleaning up the broken glass, because I know how difficult it is (I was a bit of a clumsy child, often broke things), and I know that my kids like to walk barefoot, and I don’t want them stepping on shattered and broken glasses and wounding them, as a result. I’d like to save them from that ordeal.
Now I know what you're thinking: "This is the lamest hero story every. You cleaned up glass, congratulations." But that's not what this is about. I often have some random thoughts while I do chores, and this one came to me while I was down wiping the floor with a wet paper towel to pick up the little pieces.
See, that's the thing about cleaning up broken glass, it gets everywhere, and there's always the little pieces that you couldn't see, but as soon as you step on it, it's there. Sure, there are the big pieces, the large chunks, that with a little care and almost less effort, you can easily pick up and throw away. It's the little ones, the tiny slivers that hide in corners only to be blown out into the open by the gust from an open door, that are dangerous.
You have to take a lot of care, and focus, and time to pick them all up.
First you've got to sweep, get all the pieces you can see. Then you take a wet cloth and wipe up the tiny pieces, then you dry it all up and pick up the pieces you missed. Then you use the damp cloth again, and repeat until you're sure it's all gone.
Then, you've got to check your hands, knees, shoes, all your bits for pieces that just stuck on there. And after all that, there's still gonna be some pieces that you missed. Glass is just so much work to get rid of. But you've got to do it, because it's dangerous and causes pain.
The thought I had was just how much like sin it was. It's just so easy to find and pick out the big sins, the most obvious ones, and stop those and make sure you don't do them. But what about the little ones, the ones that hide?
Sure, it's pretty easy to tell that you've committed adultery, or murder, or better yet, easy to avoid them. But what about lusting? What about wandering into those sites you shouldn't, with all the XXX's? What about anger, or hatred? What about irritating that guy in class or at work just because he did it to you, first?
How hard is it to overcome those sins? How hard is it to not see your friend's new gadget, and want it, too? How hard is it to admit to yourself that you did have some desire for that guy on the corner? How tempting it is to just give in to your desires? (I have just given a message on this to our Youth and Young Adults Group at our church).
Sin is just so hard to get rid of. But you've got to do it, because it's dangerous and causes pain.
We really do have to get down into the dirt, the floor, the corners of ourselves, the parts you don't want to see, to get it out. And yes, the glass is sharp, and you could get cut (coffee, as it turns out, is not good at all for cuts).
The thing is, no matter how hard we try, we can never get it all. Just like the glass, there's always gonna be that one piece that eludes you, that comes back to cut open your foot, or make a nice new gash in your hand.
That's where God comes in. He takes all the glass, all those little sharp splinters, the little blades of pain in your life, and turns them all into safety glass, painless, rounded, dull. Even the little tiny one hiding in the corner. He sent his Son to walk through the glass, through the sin and the pain, and change it all. The glass lost its sharpness, it cannot cut us any longer, if we just accept Him.
My life has a lot of broken glasses in it, just like everyone else. But therein lies the beauty of it. There is only one sinless tale, but that sinless tale is the key to living a life free of broken pieces and shattered glasses in our life…it can be fixed
What has God shown you recently about the slivers of sin in your life?
