WARNING: SLIPPERY SURFACE

Recently I was on vacation with my family. It seems that everything we do always involves water and this trip brought us to the Comal River. I am a fraidy-cat so I always choose to get out and walk around the dangerous areas like rapids and shoots. In walking around something that I perceived as dangerous and trying to avoid getting hurt, I came across a sign painted on the cement that said: “Caution: Slippery Surface”.

I began thinking about how we as Christians can easily avoid the obvious dangers. We can see the dangers lurking ahead when it comes to infidelity, addiction, theft, murder…those are biggies that we can see and make course corrections to avoid. We don’t always avoid them and the closer we get to the actual core of the threat the current oftentimes catches us and we are caught up in the throes of it before we realize we are past the point of no return. Repentance and forgiveness are our only course if we choose to navigate away from the sin that has drawn us in.

There are times however that the course we choose to avoid a big sin can be a slippery surface as well. We can linger on the outside of the current of infidelity and skirt it with flirting. We can float along toying with drugs or alcohol and not even realize that we are losing control. We can easily stretch or exaggerate the truth not realizing that is the slippery slope of dishonesty. We can stock our home with office supplies from work, and not see ourselves as a thief.

You see, oftentimes “Big Sins” have definite warning signs that come along with them. Common sense brings the list of possible consequences to mind and we cautiously steer clear. The “small sins” are less obvious. We are lured to think that we can handle it or control them. We think the consequences aren’t that bad.

The truth is: in God’s eyes sin is sin, there are no ‘big sins’ or ‘small sins’, sin is simply sin. So the next time you realize you are gossiping, telling a little white lie, taking a tablet from the office, taking just one more pill, drinking just one more drink, flirting just one more time…you are on a slippery surface. That surface is the illusion of sin not being sin. I pray you are able to recognize it for what it is and heed the signs… “Caution: Slippery Surface”