God used a little incident with E to teach me this week.
We were over at my mom's after church this Sunday. All the cousins were over and they wanted to know if they could put on their swim suits and pretend like they were going swimming. Note: we have cousins next door that have a pool, but being the middle of Sept, I am just over the pool, and ready for fall. The kids of course asked if they could go swimming, but we told them that they could not go. All the other cousins were happy playing in the driveway with bike, scooters, wagons, etc, but not E. He really, really wanted to go swimming. Meanwhile, the cousins that own the pool did go swimming. (Their grandfather, my uncle was at the pool watching them and I knew this. I would never have been so lax if there had been no adult at the pool) E continued throughout the course of the day to beg to go swimming, and I would tell him no.
About 30 minutes later, E came and ask me if he could go down to our cousins and ride bikes with them. I told him that I didn't care but once again reminded him that he was not to go swimming. Needless to say, about 15 minutes later as we were loading up the van , Z had to go get E out of the pool. He had gotten in and went swimming with his cousins. Z and I were not surprised, and of course he was punished.
My Uncle later relayed the story to me from his perspective. E first came up to the pool and sat in the chair. Of course K and B, my cousins swimming ask him to get in. He immediately told them that his daddy said he could not get in. A few minutes later, he was at the edge of the pool watching, (remember, he has his swim suit on) and before long he was in the pool playing.
E fell into temptation because he got too close. His other cousins never left the driveway at my mother's house. They all wanted to go swimming, but E left the safety of the driveway went closer and closer to the pool and before he knew it he was in swimming.
That is what happens when we fall into sin. We allow ourselves to go too close, instead of staying in the safety of God's comfort and provision. As I get older, my temptations are different than when I was young but I still fall into them the same way. I allow myself just to listen to gossip that is hurtful, then I get closer and maybe have just one comment, then I get closer and before long I have jumped right in. Or with my relationship with my husband. I get angry. Then I move closer and I speak to him in anger, then I move closer and I act on my anger and before I know it I have jumped right in to a huge hateful, hurtful argument that should not have been. Or... maybe I am just going to turn on the TV (or computer) and see what is on. Then I get closer, and I am just going to watch that show for 5 min. Before I know it I have jumped right in and been on the computer or TV for hours, neglecting my family and my responsibilities.
Father, help me to be so conscious of sin that I would stay far away from it. I want to be content in the driveway and not even go near the pool.The closer E got to the pool, the more he was tempted. The closer we get to sin, the harder it is to resist. That is why the Bible tells us to flea temptation. Father help me to run from temptation, especially where I am and weak and run to you.
My reason for not letting E go swimming was really selfish, I did not want to the pool, and get all hot and sweaty. But we can rest assured that God has our best interest at hand when he tells us not to do something. He has an eternal reason, and it is definitely much better than not wanting to get hot and sweaty at the pool..
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