After my friend in college turned orange, she realized that her attempts to look more attractive were making things worse. For days, we jokingly called her “the human carrot.” That’s all she ate. Carrots…with a side order of…carrots. For three and a half weeks she ate like a rabbit, because she wanted to lose as much weight as she could.
There were two major flaws with her plan, however. First of all, we lived in Texas, where most of the year men sweat and ladies glisten. And second, apparently, if you eat that many carrots, the orange pigment migrates to your pores and stains your skin. The poor girl turned into an Oompa Loompa right before our eyes.
It’s amazing what we will try in order to look and feel better about ourselves. We buy the latest pill or gadget even though the little white words at the bottom of the screen say, “Results not typical.” We all know that the way to get fit is to simply burn off more calories than we gulp down. But for some reason we are fascinated by contraptions, supplements, and limited menus which exclude all of the ingredients that make food palatable.
In a SIMILAR way, many of us Christians have an “overweight” problem. We think that we have to wait until we’re over our sins before we can present ourselves to God. So we give in to the latest trend sweeping the nation and begin the painful process of denying ourselves things that we are told God despises.
But it has never fully worked for us, has it? Just like with weight loss fad diets, it never lasts. You may have had some short-term success, but you’ve always found yourself back where you were before, or for many, worse off than before.
Here’s a word of comfort for you. We do not have to wait until we’re over our sins. We simply need to invite Christ in the door. Satan fools us into thinking we need to do all the cleaning and get the dust swept out of the way before we can connect with God.
I want you to take a moment right now to remove yourself from a life of frustration. Invite the Holy Spirit to live in you now. It doesn’t matter if your “house” is cluttered. He’s seen it before. Open the door wide and let him in. He’ll work with you to help you become the respectable person you dream of being. Don’t say, “But I’m not good enough. I’m still working on some things so I’ll be acceptable in his sight.” Stop the fad diets. Let him occupy you. Let him come in with his broom and mop and disinfectant sprays. Let him do the spring cleaning. He’s much better at it than you’ll ever be. Let him in, and don’t forget to tell him to turn on the no vacancy sign.
Yours in Faith,
Roy Ice
