Anytime I go to my parent’s house, my dad always has a project for my brother and me to help him do. It’s either digging a ditch, adding on to his tool shed, tilling his garden patch to get it ready for spring planting, or some other kind of manual labor. This Christmas break was no different. Pops is building on to his shed in the backyard, and there was a tree that needed to be cut down to make room for the addition. My brother Stephen usually takes care of operating the heavy machinery, but with him busy running his landscaping business in Charlotte, the chainsaw responsibilities fell on my shoulders. I put my safety goggles on and with a few pulls of the cord, the cold-natured engine roared to life.
After putting the tree on the ground, I went upstairs to clean up. Even though I had the goggles on, my eyes were still red and dry from all the sawdust and dirt flying through the air. I turned my head toward the ceiling and dropped some Visine in both eyes, blinking repeatedly to clean the dust out. At the end of the day, with all my fingers and toes still in place, I had no real reason to complain.
The Christian life sometimes calls for some goggles and eye drops. The Bible acts as a pair of goggles, serving as a part of armor that Christians put on everyday. The Word protects us from stumbling in our faith, falling into temptation, and preventing us from making others stumble because of our words and actions.
Yet, even with the best protection and preventive measures, we are not perfect. We will stumble and we will make mistakes. Sometimes the goggles aren’t enough. That’s when we have to use a little Visine. Christ acts as the eye drops that clean us up. He purifies us from the sins and unrighteousness that infect our lives everyday.
With proper protection and a reliance on the mercy and grace of Christ, our lives will bring glory to God despite our shortcomings, and will be a shining example to encourage other Christians in their walk with God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Read Psalm 91- God is shown as the protector of his people described as a refuge and a fortress.
I hope you all have a great year in 2008. A new year means new resolutions. See how your resolutions compare to the most common in the US.
Top 10 New Years Resolutions
10. Get Organized
9. Volunteer and Donate to Help Others
8. Get a Better Job
7. Get Out of Debt
6. Stop Drinking
5. Enjoy Life More by Starting a New Hobby or Trying Something New
4. Stop Smoking
3. Lose Weight
2. Exercise and be More Physically Active
1. Spend More Time with Family and Friends
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