The Merry-go-round.....

As a kid, I can remember always wanting to get on the Merry-go-round. It always looked like so much fun. I could barely contain myself as I would run from the car to the playground. I'd get on it first and hollar for my brothers to hurry up and get there, but the anticipation would get the best of me and I would begin to run around holding onto the bar racing as fast as my little legs would go, building up as much speed as I could, then I would jump on, hold tightly and go for the ride I had so long waited for.

Of course, then my younger brothers would show up and I'd have to wait and get them on board and begin to push again. Sometimes a grown up would push us and get us going really fast. But it usually didn't take me long to realize that while it was so much fun at first, it got old really quick, and my stomach couldn't take the round and round and round. I would get off and stagger around like a drunk man for a little while, trying to get over the cold sweats and upset stomach.

Tonight the thought came to me that that is how sin is. It comes on as something that we really want to do, we think about how much fun it is going to be, and we can't hardly wait until the opportunity to have whatever it is that we are wanting arrives. And then when it finally gets here, we enjoy ourselves for a time, but then we find ourselves in that situation where what at first promised so much joy ends up causing us pain.

I think this is what the Scriptures are trying to tell us when we read in Hebrews 11:25 speaking of Moses; "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season..." Sin is fun plain and simple, to say otherwise would be a lie. Because we see here that it is fun...for a season. A season is a short span of time. When we choose to sin we will be enjoying it for a while, just not a long while.

That is where so many of us fall I think. Because sin feels good (at first) we think, this must be an okay thing, it must not be that bad...it's only after the season is over and we've reaped our harvest that we realize how caught up in the mess we really are. It is at this point that we, like I was when I was little, start to stagger around like a drunk man, feeling horrible inside. The biggest problem with this, is that most just continue to stagger around and away from the Father God.

God knew that we were going to sin, and He is not surprised when we do. Does he like it? No. Does He stop liking us if we sin? No. What we have to do, is turn back to Him, confess our sins and He has promised that He will cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness and bring us back into right standing with Him. (1John 1:9)

I am not at all condoning sin, or saying that it doesn't matter and we shouldn't try to live a holy and righteous life. I just think that what happens so many times is that people are afraid to go to God when that is what they need to do the most. So yeah, don't sin is the best way, but if you do, you have an advocate with the Father (Jesus) who lives to plead your case before the Father, just don't run from Him...run to Him. Strength and honor for the Kingdom....and whatever you do, get off that Merry-go-round.....