I had lunch with my friend Jackie the other day. She is the Junior Bible Quiz coach at our church, and very passionate about it I might add. Jackie was telling me about a conversation she had with one of her JBQ students. His family had seen an answered prayer and he was trying to tell her about it. All of the children were noisily gathering upstairs for children’s church and she couldn’t hear him that well. Scooting a little closer to hear, she noticed that the young man backed up a step. Jackie said, “I knew I had invaded his space bubble.”
I once heard that the average space bubble is about three feet. If someone gets closer than three feet, a person may react like taking a step back as the young man did. As we were standing in the parking lot of the restaurant about to leave, Jackie said, “I’m going to invade your space bubble. Give me a hug bye.” We both chuckled and I reassured her that she had clearance.
I have decided that my husband Tim has absolutely NO space bubble. He proved this recently with his innate driving skills. Humph. Tim had gone outside to move the red van to another spot in the driveway to make room for company. He came back into the house with that look on his face. You know… the look that Barney Fife always gets after he realizes that maybe, just maybe, he has messed up. Tim said, “I think I’m going to have to replace the back window in the red van. I got too close to a tree.” I went out to look and the whole window was shattered. Pieces of glass were falling off one by one into the driveway. Sarcastically I said, “You think?” I asked Tim, “Didn’t you realize that you were backing into the tree BEFORE you went all the way to the window?” He said, “I thought I just had bumper.”
When it comes to sin, I want a really big space bubble. I know through experience (unfortunately) that you just can’t get too close to the fire. Sin is like a magnet that just yanks you into its grasp. We are to “Abstain from all appearance of evil,” as it says in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5. Abstain means to desist, refrain, withdraw, withhold, go without, give up… Sometimes we as Christians don’t put enough distance between us and sin.
Jesus ate with sinners. I’m not saying that Christians should isolate themselves from the world. Yet we read in I Corinthians 5:11 that we are not supposed to even eat with a “brother” who is in sin. Why is that? Could it be because a sinner doesn’t know any better? A sinner doesn’t have the Holy Spirit within them to convict of sin. We should not be unequally yoked in a close relationship with an unbeliever, but we must get in there to find an opportunity to be a witness. But a Christian, now that’s a different story. Christians don’t have the same excuse. We have the Holy Spirit to warn us when something is not right and that we should “abstain” from it. Unfortunately, we don’t always heed that warning. When this happens, sin can find its way into our lives. My next question… why are we instructed not to “keep company” or even eat with one who is called a brother (Christian) if they are in sin? Could it be that when sin has latched on to the believer, it is somehow not as clear to recognize. A life of sin can be camouflaged by a Christian who knows the talk – the right thing to say at the right time – you know, the “buzz words.” Let’s face it. We want to think the best of others. When a Christian falls, you may hear things like, “I just can’t believe he did that.” Why not? We all have a carnal nature that is at war with our spiritual nature. Anyone is capable of anything. When we realize there is no safety at the point of sin, we will put some distance there. This is not by being rude or judging. We are commanded to love our neighbor. But an ounce of discernment is worth a pound of repentance. When it comes to sin, let’s learn to have a really large space bubble.
After that $200 window replacement, you would think Tim would learn to keep enough distance away from objects when he is driving. But that bill only follows the $50 we paid to replace a rear view mirror that he peeled off on the gate while backing in. Oh, and the $75 to replace the door handle on the same occasion… And the time he drove the trailer so close to the shed that he peeled the roof off… And the day we were moving when he backed into the trailer tongue, leaving a big dent in the back of that same red van. (He denies doing that, but our neighbor was standing right there with me watching as he did it.) And the time he drove over the curb onto the sidewalk and had to replace the transmission… Well, you get the picture. I told you he has no space bubble. Either that or he thinks we got the red van for him to have as a crash derby car!
till next time…
Sally
We are currently working on a new album that we are so excited about! It contains a couple of songs that I was privileged to co-write with Daryl Williams, and we even got Daryl and Karen to join us on some background vocals for one of those songs. There are also many other original songs as well as convention songs that we love so well. Keep checking back for the release of our new recording, “THE WORD IS OUT.”
To order our latest project, “What Are You Waiting For” with songs like our new single “It’s a Sure Thing” and our first charting single, “He Can Move the Water,” simply call 615-459-5119 or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.
To find out more about The Quicks, visit us on the web at http://www.thequicksonline.com .
The Quicks are also now at My Space! You can visit us at http://www.myspace.com/thequicksonline !
Author: AGM
| Author's Website: http://absolutelygospel.com/
Written: 02/01/2007
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Category: The Quicks
Comments: 3
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Sally,
Sally, you know Tim can't help it. Why don't you try having one of those extended bumpers put on, so next time he will hit the bumper, BEFORE he hits the window. That's just a thought. I can't wait to hear your new CD.
Deon
Deon Unthank
SoGospelNews.com
My Blog
Some people are like Slinkys… Not really good for anything, but they
still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs - Author Unknown
great article.....but you better quit pickin' on my friend Tim.
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