Static Cling

Read Psalms 19:12-14; 139:23-24

Rosa’s sweater crackled with static as she pulled it over her head and smoothed it down. She wet a comb to tame her flyaway hair and hurried downstairs for breakfast. “Why are you giggling?” Rosa asked her brother as she took her seat at the table.

Javier pointed at Rosa’s back, and Mom and Dad chuckled too. “There’s a pink sock stuck to your back!” said Javier.

“Oops!” said Rosa, removing the sock from her sweater. “I’m glad you noticed that,” she said. “It would’ve been embarrassing if I went to school looking like that.”

After breakfast, Dad reached for the family Bible. “Let’s read a few verses before you leave for school,” he said. “We’ve removed the item sticking to your clothes. Now let’s do a little spot-checking to be sure we aren’t letting sin stick around in our lives.”

“I don’t have any sin stuck in my life,” stated Rosa confidently.

“Are you sure?” asked Mom.

“What about the way you shove stuff under your bed when Mom tells us to clean our rooms?” asked Javier with a smirk. “You do it all the time.”

“How would you know?” asked Rosa. She was embarrassed. “Besides, I don’t really consider it sin when I do that—after all, I clean it up later.” She scowled at Javier. “What about tattling?” she added.

“If we’re not careful, sin can sneak up and attach itself to us without our realizing it,” said Dad. “It’s there as clear as your sock was, but somehow we don’t see it. That’s why each of us must talk to God every day and ask him to show us what’s wrong in our lives.”

How about you?

Do you often ask God to show your sin to you so that you can get rid of it? Do you cling to sin or allow it to cling to you? It’s important to learn to recognize sin through God’s Word or through talking with Christians such as pastors, teachers, or parents.

Memorize:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” Psalm 139:23, KJV