Good People, Bad Decisions, Christians and Sin

Good people make bad decisions. Christian people make wrong choices. Saved people sin.  These are some facts that, no matter how you try to make it otherwise, just are true.  If you are thinking right now, "I'm saved and I don't sin", then I want you to think about what went through your mind the last time someone pulled out in front of you on the highway or turned off without using a blinker.  I'm sure you thought, "that is perfectly fine, I don't mind if I'm involved in an accident today."  I'm guessing you laughed and thought "Hardly."  So let's just go with the fact that we all have sinned, made bad decisions, and wrong choices.

I think the hardest thing for most parents is to not be able to protect a child from hurt or harm.  And to keep them from making bad decisions.  But, no matter how hard we try, we can't always protect them.  We can't keep them from bad choices.  And we would like to think we would not get into that type of predicament either. However, it doesn't matter the age of your child or even yourself.  Whether you are 7, 17, or 57 you are still at risk of being in a situation of your own making that is not what you planned.  So, now what?

Now is where we ask for forgiveness.  From God and from those we have hurt in the process. If you are not the one in the wrong, but the one who was "wronged" then you are the one who has to forgive.  And love.  I remember times when I wouldn't have blamed my momma if she had locked me in my room until I was 21.  But she never did.  She always forgave and she never stopped loving.  And there have been times when I could have disowned a child.  But I didn't.  If anything, I had to love them more to make sure they knew that even though I was heartbroken, I still loved them.

Remember there are no big sins and little sins; just sins.  It doesn't matter if the bad decision led to an arrest, an unplanned pregnancy, a failing grade or whatever.  Once the decision, the choice, has been made, there is no going back.  We can only go forward.  In 1 John 1:9 we are told "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  If we can be forgiven for ALL the many sins we have committed, then we have to be willing to forgive those around us.

It seems that around Christmas people begin to really focus on love.  Obviously it is a time when God sent us Love in the baby Jesus.  But we shouldn't just love once a year, we should love all the time.  1 Peter 4:8 says - "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."  And maybe this is a good place for us to remind ourselves that it is not for us to judge others--Luke 6:37 - "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:".  This is the area that I plan to ask God to help me with the most as we begin a new year.  I want to be slow to make assumptions, slow to judge others, and quick to offer love and forgiveness.  Some of you may want to join me in the venture!!

So, before you start telling someone about a terrible decision, choice or sin of someone else, stop and think about this verse in Luke.  Because good people make bad decisions, Christian people make wrong choices and saved people sin.  As we go through our days let us keep this in mind.  And let us always love.  Always.

Just A Vapour

James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."


For whatever reason, I woke up with this verse on my mind.  I just kept thinking "If you knew this was your last day, what would you have to say about your life?"  And I immediately thought "I've had a good life."   Yes, there have been lots of ups and downs along the way---that is just the way life is--but I've had a good life.  I have a group of people who love me (even when I make it hard), I have a handful of faithful, praying friends (which is more than most people have), and I feel like I've had a positive impact in the lives of people from several generations.  My kids turned out ok.  My grandchildren are precious and imperfect (they get the second characteristic from me!)  I got to walk both of my parents to the end of this life as they left for the next.  And I have HOPE!!  Hope because Jesus is my Savior.  Hope because He promised me a life fulfilled! John 10:10"... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  Hope that after this life I will sit at His feet and that He is preparing me a mansion (Y'all can read those other versions and just get an apartment if you want to, but this girl is getting a mansion!)

I would hope that people remembered more of the good times and fewer of the bad that we've shared.  I'd want there to be more laughter than tears.  I'd hope somebody could say that they saw Jesus in me.  I'd hope somebody would say that their life was better because our lives crossed.  And I want to continue to do the things that would make these statements true for as much time as I have.  

Maybe it is because we are approaching Momma's birthday and Christmas.  And just went through the month when Daddy went home as did some of my favorite uncles.  Maybe it is because the hardest part of the semester is over and I haven't started gearing up for the next--and my last.  Maybe it is because Bro. Aaron made us think about it a couple of weeks ago.  Or maybe its just that God wanted to remind me that my time on this earth is limited.  Maybe He wanted me to remember that I only have a limited amount of time to tell people about Him, to share His love, to be His messenger.  There could be a lot of maybes.  And really, it doesn't even matter why I was having these thoughts.  What matters is that I did.  And now, so have you.

All that leads me, and you as well, to ponder on what we are doing with our lives.  We can't go back and fix what we messed up 10, 20, 40 years or months or days or hours ago.  We can, however, be purposeful in what we do from this very moment on.  We need to be intentional with how we live our days because that will eventually make up our lives.  If I live to be 100 or die at 57, I want to know that I did something that made my time on earth worthwhile.  Until the very end I want to be able to say "I've had a good life."  My prayer is that you can do the same.  

Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands."