PeteTackett.com

     Have you ever opened your mouth and something came out that surprised even you? I think most of us are surprised at some point when something escapes our lips during times of extreme pressure.  We like to believe that we are better than we are. It is the curse of man and sin. When the pressure is turned up, though, the real me comes out.
     I was telling the Antioch Church yesterday about a time when I accidentally ran a red light through a MAJOR intersection when cars were flying in every direction. I was just exiting the Dunkin Donuts and savoring my large decaf with one cream and two splenda and my toasted blueberry bagel. Perhaps, I was a bit distracted. By the time I realized what happened, it was too late. I had to go. So with great fear and trepidation, I floored it and made it safely through. Horns were blowing, tires were squealing, people were yelling, and I was even saluted by several folks, though not in a form that was particularly flattering.
     Unfortunately, when I realized what I had done, a word came out of my mouth that I do not remember ever having used as an adult. (And NO, I will not tell you what it was.) It caused me to ask the question, “Where did that come from?” Since I told that story, several have shared similar stories. A friend whose parents are enduring a nasty divorce said “I do not know where that came from.” A couple whose children are dealing with issues of their own making are second guessing their own motives in giving advice, saying “I am ashamed of what I am thinking. I thought I was better than that.” A person who is at odds with an old friend said I don’t like what I am feeling and I do not know where it came from.
     The purpose of this is not to preach. After all, we know the sin nature of man, and the stress of life and our own pride, etc. The purpose here is just to say, “embrace it.” Count it all joy. If the pressure had not come and you had not reacted the way you did, you would be tiptoeing merrily along through the tulips self-deluded into believing you were okay. You would never have known the depth of the depravity of your own heart and would never have had the opportunity to confess it and renounce it and move on. Because you now know, you get to work on it and continue to be molded into the image of Christ.
     Proverbs 28:13 says that “He who conceals his sin does not prosper,” even when we are not consciously concealing it. It is important to know it and confess it and renounce it. If you had asked me prior to that event, I would have said that although I have lots of vices, foul language is not one of them. Now, I know better and have the opportunity to let the Father change that about me.
     What about you? Got a story you can share about a time when you asked “Where did that come from?”

Filed under: Uncategorized |