Muddy River Media

The other day while driving to ref a basketball game I discovered my pants had a hole the size of a quarter in the crotch (don't ask what I was doing to make this discovery). Upon further investigation I felt the hole wouldn't be overly noticeable. It wasn't like I had a needle and thread in my reffing kit anyways.

However, the problem escalated when I did my pre-game stretches and heard a definite ripping sound. The hole had suddenly, and violently, grown to twice the size. Not good... not good at all. And to make matters worse, the company which designed these black reffing pants deemed it fit to use bright white material for the backing of the seams and crotch area.

So, here I am, in a gym filled with spectators waiting to watch the local team play their first game in the tournament, with a large gaping hole in the crotch of my pants. A large gaping hole through which a shocking display of white material draws every eye.

I go to the office to find a stapler, and proceed to take off my pants and do some hasty repairs. I slam about ten staples into the wound which is in the crotch of my pants. My hope is this will work... but I know it's an effort in futility.

Sure enough... about three minutes into the game I look down and see that school grade staples were not sufficient for the task. For the rest of the game the fans will assume I am wearing a pair of tighty whiteys when in reality I've got black boxer-briefs on under there.

It was humiliating. I wish I had inspected my pants a bit more closely before I left the house.

It reminded me of one of the first pithy sayings I learned as a kid in elementary school... a stitch in time saves you nine. It was like a Eureka moment when, as a six year old, I digested and understood what that particular proverb was teaching. It's better to deal with an issue early on before it gets totally out of hand and requires drastic measures.

Isn't that just like sin in our lives though? It is far, far better to deal with the sin when it is just beginning, rather than wait and allow it to grab a foothold in our lives. Waiting only increases the potential mess... the potential hurt... the potential humiliation. Waiting and allowing that sin habit to grow will mean we are no longer a great example of what a Christian should look and be like.

I don't know where I first heard it, but I always remember the saying... keep short accounts with God. Which simply means we should deal with the sin in our lives immediately, asking God's forgiveness. Don't end up accumulating a great steaming pile of sin which, when your life explodes, requires you to crawl back to the Throne of Grace asking for repentance and restoration.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1John 1:9