walking a thin line...

or maybe i should say...walking a bit close to the line...

when tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” james 1:13-15

as i sat in the gas station...this scenario took place with a women, her husband...and her van...

“impossible!! how can this be? why, i’m certain i never crossed the line!”

out tumbled the words from this woman's disbelieving mouth...i knew of what she was talking about...because the street was clearly marked as to where to drive...due to the road markers being re-painted...she and her husband stood staring at the two left wheel wells on their family mini-van that now sat spattered with bright yellow paint...while driving through the street...it seemed that she had traveled a little too close to the freshly painted yellow line that separates traffic...

while she was keenly aware that the workers had just finished placing the sunny stripes on the pitch-black pavement...she was positive that she had driven in a manner that...although closely hugged the lines...had not crossed them...much to her dismay...when the van’s tires rolled to a halt at the gas station...the truth was revealed...crossed the line? no...she actually hadn’t...there was no paint on the actual tires...however...her getting ever so close was enough to cause the wet paint to stick itself stubbornly to her vehicle’s wheel wells resulting in a nearly neon public display of her too close behavior...

alas...could it be? was God showing me a lesson in this action packed scene? =)

sometimes we do the same thing with sin...oh...we make sure we don’t actually cross the line...but we dangle dangerously close to it...we toy with temptation...we wink at seduction...we let bad behavior beckon us...

perhaps it is with our tongues as we say just enough that it borders on gossip and gets our point across...while still technically remaining innocent...maybe it is fudging a slight bit on our taxes or other financial papers...what about the books we read...the shows we watch or the sites we visit? how about “innocent” but bantering relationships forged with members of the opposite sex...do we reason and reckon that some of these behaviors aren’t “that bad,” but in reality they come so close to the line that they drag us away from God...and once the dragging starts...we’re hooked...then we just might find ourselves standing in a very public way with sin spattered all over us...

i've been there...more times then i'd like to admit...

instead of asking ourselves how close we can get to the line...perhaps the opposite approach is best...we must remind ourselves just how desperately near we must stay to the Lord Jesus...so near that wandering even slightly away feels foreign...not familiar...let’s vow together to stick safely by our Savior and a world away from that nasty line of sin...

i want to be in the place that my heart is pricked when i begin to veer from His perfect path and wander dangerously close to the line of sin...at those times...i want to obey His commanding voice...however still and small it may be...and rush back safely to His side...