Tangled Web

I was watching a movie last night and in it there was a girl who was a drug addict and had been pulled over by the cops for drunk driving. The police had assigned her to so many hours at AA but she wouldn't stay because she thought her problem was so small. One of her friends, after listening to her talk about the other peoples problems being big and out of control told her "Their problems start small just like yours." I think this is a lot like sin. God tells us that all sin is equal but for some reason we believe that their are different levels of sin. Such as lying is not as bad as murder and that the thoughts we have are nothing unless we act on them. This is not true at all. Christ says that if we commit murder in hearts we will be judged for it. Why is it so easy for us to get tangled up in sin? We seem to be drawn to it like a fly to a Venus fly trap. Something lures us in and then it grabs us and begins to tangle us up, until there is no way out. We begin to lie to others and ourselves to cover up the sin in our lives, which is only adding to the tangled mess around us. Before we hit rock bottom we become ashamed of what we have done. We feel like we do not deserve forgiveness. We finally begin to see the sin around us that has begun to suffocate us. We try to break free on our own, thinking that if we pull the right cord or move the right way some how we can break free of it all. But this is not true and after a long time of struggling we hit the bottom. It is only then that we look up to God. We have tried everything else and have failed so why not come before the Lord broken, dirty, and hurting. All it takes for Christ is us to admit and he clears that tangled sin away. When I worked a Champs Camp one spring break, the verse of the week was Hebrews 12:1 but the following two verses apply as well. "1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." We need to fix our eyes on Christ, because He has made it through and He alone is our hope. With out Christ we would stay a tangled mess until the sin finally destroyed us. Don't give up hope, God has set a path before us and he is ready and willing to help whenever we call. Do not wait to clean up your life to come to Christ but come to him dirty, broken and hurting so that he can wash you clean and fix you up.