Sometimes it's the little things that stop us. Monday, I walked out by our pool to find Mr. Clean "dead in the water." Before you start sending notes of condolence, let me clarify something. Mr. Clean is not a person. It is the name we gave to our Hayward automatic pool cleaner.
When Mr. Clean stops scavenging the watery depths, I know there's a reason. Something -- usually something very small -- has lodged in the simple gear mechanism that propels him along the pool floor.
That was the case on Monday. It was an easy fix. I grabbed a screwdriver, loosened one screw, and opened a little hatch that allowed me to peer into "his guts." Sure enough, there was a tiny little rock wedged in tight. I removed it, closed him up, and Mr. Clean was once again making his rounds.
As I walked away, I couldn't help but think about how often it is not the "big sins," but the little things that trip us up in life.
- A simple click of the mouse . . .
- A little piece of my mind . . .
- A few more minutes in the sack . . .
- The "harmless" second look . . .
- The frivolous expenditure . . .
- The little white lie . . .
Like a pebble in our gears the little things entangle us and then stop us. Before you know it, we are dead in the water! No wonder the writer of Hebrews urges us:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)
Is there a sin that so easily entanglesyou?
STAY FOCUSED TODAY: READ THAT QUESTION AGAIN! If some "little pebble" is putting a halt to your pursuit of God, pry it out. Stop right now. Confess it, and by God's grace, leave it! Fix your eyes on Jesus!