Son-Burn

I never really pay much attention to the tops of my feet. I didn’t, that is, until spring break when they burned under the steady application of a tropical sun.  I was painfully embarrassed to have missed such a seemingly obvious body part when slathering sunscreen and I walked around for days radiating the indictment of my oversight. 

Just recently as I was sitting in church, the Lord began to deal with me through the pastor’s words and before long my face was glowing as brightly as my burned feet had. I was radiating the indictment of an oversight…let’s call it what it was…sin. I was oblivious to the need to cover this particular area of my life with the preventive measures of prayer, humility, and supplication. And now I was well and truly singed. Has this ever happened to you? There I was going about my business completely unaware that an entire piece of my life was vulnerably exposed to temptation. And the temptation that started out as a deceptively pleasant warm-glow-within turned into a consumption that I didn’t notice until it began to hurt.    

So, what’s my advice? Well I’m not sure I have any. We can be diligent and careful and self-aware for only so long before those preventive measures begin to wear thin and before you know it we’re peeling in sheets. And let’s be honest. We’re not able to see every inch of exposure. Other people are much better at that but they usually don’t point it out until it’s too late. I love those two little words, “You’re burning” which are usually accompanied by a much-too-late poke in the now painfully blistered area of risk. I always wonder why they don’t warn you at the outset, “You’re going to burn…right there” and give you the opportunity to avoid the suffering ahead.

Anyway…my feet have recovered and now have the lovely summer bronze that tells of a beach having been walked, and I’ve applied proper treatment to that soul-scorch as well through confession and repentance. But despite the good outcome in both circumstances, I sincerely would have preferred to avoid the pain involved. So if you see me walking around foolishly blind to my own exposure, I invite you…I implore you…to point it out before I burn.