Just because something is small doesn’t mean it can’t cause a whole lot of trouble. In fact sometimes, the very fact that something is tiny means that it can cause much more trouble than if it were bigger and more obvious. Little things can remain unseen and undetected which can translate to them being completely overlooked – giving them much more time to create major havoc!
A drop in the ocean
Did you know that as little as just under a litre of oil has the power to contaminate over 945,000 litres of water? Not only that, but that same amount of oil can create a slick on the surface of the water of around 2 acres in size. That’s an incredible amount of damage when you consider how small one litre actually is.
A grain of sand
Recently my family went out on a day trip to a dam, the kids were having a ball in the water, until my daughter cut her foot open. Although it was sore, the cut didn’t look too big so we cleaned it up and put on a bandage so that it could heal. She was limping for a while but the wound soon closed up and everything looked okay until she pointed out to us that there was a lump under the surface where the cut had been. Something obviously wasn’t right, so we took her to the Doctor, who reopened the wound to see what was wrong.
The problem, and lump, were both being caused by the tiniest piece of grit. It must have got trapped when she cut her foot but it was so small that we missed it when we cleaned the wound. It may have been too small for us to spot but it wasn’t too small to cause continuing damage.
How bad can it be?
It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant something is in life, if it is allowed to be somewhere that it shouldn’t be it can cause some big problems. It could be a negative thought that may seem insignificant, but if you allow it to linger it can become something much bigger and more toxic. What about a relationship that isn’t as healthy as it should be or a bad habit that you think you can kick at any time but when left unchecked puts down much stronger roots than you thought possible. On the other hand, it might even be a ‘white lie’ or a dishonest act that you did without thinking, but causes all sorts of problems down the line.
Less than intended
The word sin tends to cause all sorts of reactions in people. Debates are raging as to what is sin and what isn’t, and far too many of us allow this little word to trip us up completely. We tend to think of a sin as being something bad or evil, but the American preacher Billy Graham describes it this way:
“A sin is any thought or action that falls short of God’s will. God is perfect, and anything we do that falls short of His perfection is sin”
God created us with a purpose and a standard in mind. It was perfect. When we choose to allow things into our life that aren’t meant to be there, and that don’t measure up to God’s standard, that’s sin. Just like a piece of grit or sand stuck in your foot, it may be small and insignificant but it’s in the wrong place and will cause irritation and pain and possibly change the way you walk. In order to correct the problem, the cause of the issue must be removed and like a doctor taking out a piece of grit, God wants to take away the things that are causing us to be less than we were made to be. The Bible tells us that God wants to remove our sins as far from us as the east is from the west, all we have to do is ask Him.
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