Went hiking with my husband this morning. We did three peaks in 3 hours! As we walked in the early morning hours under a canopy of clouds, we were careful not to trip over rocks and debris on the trail. As the sun gained momentum over the clouds and we were onto our second peak, we were a little more sure-footed on the trail, carefully maneuvering around the larger boulders and planting our feet squarely while in the scree. As our hike continued and we were heading towards our third circumference and peak, I tripped over a small pebble about the size of a walnut. I didn't even realize this small stone would cause so much havoc!
The more I thought about this pebble, the more I thought about the "little" sins in our lives that we don't pay attention to. It's not the big ones, like stealing and murder. Those we tend to navigate around pretty easily like the larger boulders on the trail. We also walk carefully, just like the scree on the trail, guarding ourselves against opportunities that might lead us into adultery. You know that guy (if your a gal) at work who is going through a difficult time and you just want to cheer him up and help him through it. Watch out! That is just like scree, one little misstep and you fall headlong into unwanted sin. Which is why we are careful in those situations and either stay away from them, ask another Christian male to act as his mentor, or keep all contact with him in groups of people, never alone.
But its those little pebbles that always seams to get us into big trouble. Those are lying, gossiping, unwarranted anger, slothfulness, gluttony, pride...all those little sins we don't pay attention to in our lives yet are a stumbling block to ourselves and others. We don't pay attention to them or give them any credence; so they creep into our lives without us even realizing they are there. We need to ask God to make these "little" sins known, so our walk in Christ will not be wrought with continual stumbling. What kind of witness would we be then?
Soli Deo Gloria!
~patti kerr
