Don't Do That!

When I first became a Christian, I attended a mid-size church in the town where I lived.  I had begun going to that church about the same time a new pastor had been hired, so we began to learn of each other together.  Since no one really knew either one of us, it was one of those unique experiences of entering into a relationship free of preconceived notions about the other person.  In short order, I developed a great respect for my pastor.  He was a mountain of a man... both spiritually and physically.  I'm not really sure exactly how tall he was, but in my eyes he topped out somewhere around 12-feet or so.  He was also exceedingly intelligent and possessed a solid educational background which I found enthralling.  I love to learn, so listening to his weekly sermons afforded me abundant opportunities to come away with at least three or four newly acquired bits of information.

Probably one of my most vivid memories of this man occurred on a Sunday morning in the worship service.  He had been presented with a black preaching robe by a sister congregation in town that obviously felt some need for him to appear more respectable or worthy of greater admiration, though I'll never quite understand why.  I suspect in an attempt to show his appreciation of the gift, Pastor decided to don the robe that Sunday for his weekly sermon presentation.  As I think about it, I suppose it could have just been that he spilled a cup of coffee into his lap ten minutes prior to services and had no other real choice but to cover up the faux pas in order to maintain his dignity before the congregation.  (I know... my mind sometimes goes strange places.)  For whatever reason, there he sat on the stage in the big chair behind the podium as announcements were given and a soloist approached the microphone.  Now, in this church we had a family who quite apparently did not believe in disciplining their children in any way.  They had two totally out-of-control youngsters, one of which was old enough to walk and run on his own... and he did so nearly every Sunday morning.  He would charge up the center aisle, dart over to the piano to hit a key or two, stand two feet in front of the podium and make faces at the pastor-- he basically did whatever he wanted to do with absolutely no fear of being corrected or even corralled by his parents.  So that morning as the soloist took her place and the music began, it came as no surprise to anyone to see this little hoodlum charge up the center aisle toward the stage.  What happened next took everyone by surprise, however, and no one more so than the outrageously ill-behaved child himself.  Quite suddenly, the pastor rose to his feet and came bolting off the stage area, black robe billowing out behind him, to sweep that little hooligan up off his feet and carry him down the center aisle straight out of the sanctuary without speaking a word.  The scene looked ever so much like a kind of great, ominous thundercloud that had appeared from nowhere... a tornadic force that had gathered that little boy up in its vortex and sucked him into oblivion in a moment's time.  Within seconds, the child's parents exited the sanctuary obviously distressed.  What happened out in the foyer of the church I'll never fully know.  Thankfully, the soloist's strong voice covered over much of the shouting and by the time she finished her piece, the pastor had retaken his place on the stage and proceeded with the morning services without missing a beat.  That couple never returned to our church.  I can only imagine where those children have ended up, but I try not to.

So here you see a portrait of a man of God who was not afraid to face problems head-on.  It was this same pastor who walked my husband and I through our premarital counseling and conducted our wedding service, some 32 years ago.  During those counseling sessions, we discussed many matters of importance.  One evening the pastor asked each of us to identify a bad habit we had, a negative part of our personality.  I don't remember what my husband confessed, but I rather sheepishly admitted to being a very sarcastic individual.  Upon that revelation, this big man rose to his feet, leaned across his desk, and pointed his huge finger directly into my face.  "DON'T DO THAT!"  Then he sat back down.  I was shocked and speechless (and those of you who know me well know what it takes to leave me speechless).  Thankfully, the pastor did go on to explain how terribly destructive sarcasm can be to a relationship and the tremendous insult it is to the recipient of it.  But trust me... he could have never said another word and I would have gotten his message loud and clear.  (That gigantic finger in my face is the first thing I see every time I am tempted to venture into sarcasm.  I think I may have a unique understanding of how Belshazzar must have felt when God's finger engraved His message onto the castle wall during the great feast there.)  It was a shock to me.  It drove a point home.  It engraved a message deeply into my mind and heart.  And I thank God often for that pastor's firm approach and no-nonsense warning against that sin.

You may be wrestling with a sin area in your life.  You know what it is.  Call it your conscience (if you are not saved) or know that it is the conviction of the Holy Spirit (if you are a believer).  The fact of the matter is that you need to stop engaging in that sin now.  There's no easy way to say it, no cute little poem to recite to remind yourself.  DON'T DO THAT!  DON'T DO THAT!  DON'T DO THAT!!  Confess that sin to God, ask for His forgiveness and cleansing, and then DON'T DO THAT anymore.  Don't be sucked into some great black vortex for all eternity.  Don't compromise with sin, don't try to excuse it or explain it.  We have the ability and the power through Christ Jesus to defeat every area of sin in our lives.  I am no longer a sarcastic person and I praise God for cleansing me and strengthening me in that area of my life.  I also thank my former pastor and dear friend.  When we meet once again in heaven I won't hesitate to let him know it.

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

Romans 6:14