By Gina Caswell Kelly
I have a new roof at my house. Finally. I also have some big changes going on in my pasture. Finally. Things that I have needed done are happening. I like it.
Living out in the country, with nothing blocking the west wind, I have been losing shingles with every blow of the wind. On the day following the wind, I would go into my front yard and gather up the shingles from the back of the house. It was just an ongoing thing. I could have just let this go on like it was, because it is clearly not raining, so my roof was not leaking. Or, I could get it fixed. One shingle is a small thing. Two is not too bad. But, one lost shingle would loosen another and another and on it would go.
In my pasture, dirt has been building up around my fence with every time the wind would blow. This has gone on for years. At first a little blow sand was not too bad. But then more would come and then more. All of a sudden, I have a fence that a cow could easily step over. It won’t keep anything in. My neighbor across the road needed dirt. My farmer neighbor to the south needed this dirt gone to be able to do what he wanted to do. I needed the dirt gone to make my pasture usable again. What a deal for all three of us!
Like the roof, a little bit of dirt piled up was not terrible, just like one or two shingles was not too bad. But as you continue to let it all continue without trying to stop it, then it becomes a problem. Like sin in our lives.
We might think that we can do this one thing and get away with it. No one will know. No one will be hurt. But then, it gets easier and easier to let it continue and grow. Before we know it, we are covered in dirt and pretty much unusable. If we had just made the effort to stop it in the beginning, maybe things would not have gotten so bad.
Here is where the forgiveness of God steps in. When we see ourselves making poor choices and heading down the wrong road, God is there waiting to offer forgiveness for our sins and a chance at a fresh start with Him. He offers this daily. Minute to minute, actually. It is never too late to ask Him for forgiveness. To ask Him to makes us usable for Him, once again. To ask Him for the strength we need for the task at hand.
Don’t let your life get in the same shape as my roof and my pasture! Recognize now if you are heading down the wrong path and ask God to forgive you and bring you back to where you need to be. And, don’t think for one second that you may be too far gone. God’s love and grace will extend to as far as you have gone to bring you back. There is nothing so bad that it is out of reach of God’s grace and forgiveness.
Stop sin before it starts! Or stop it as soon as you see it! Ask God for His strength, His power, and His forgiveness. It will make a difference
