Skunk and seek

1st John 1:9
Revelations 1:5
Jonah: 1:1-10
About 5 years ago, I was working on the 3-11 shift. One of my responsibilities that evening was to do a walking perimeter check. It was a warm summer evening and I was in no hurry to return to the inside. As I was walking along the woodline I saw movement along the bottom of the fence. There was a flash of white....but it was too late-- the skunk I didn't see had sprayed.I only smelled it for a moment and I prayed that I had out run it. When I returned to the inside, still praying that I had out run it, it took all of about 10 seconds to find out I smelled worse than roadkill baking in the hot sun! I had out run nothing!
Have you ever wondered what it is that makes us Christians think we can outrun the stench of sin?(Jonah 1:1-10) We see it unfortunately all too often. Being born again does not make us sinless, playfully we sin less, but we are not sinless. We all make mistakes, sometimes even knowingly. We somehow "sell ourselves" on it. A person in this position puts self-desires ahead of Gods desires for us. Often we try to flee from our sin, even burying ourselves in service to God through others. It is human nature to look outward, to find the source of that gut aching separation that we feel. Like me and the skunk, all it takes is a little self examination to figure out we are the source of the problem.  There is no distance far enough, no hole deep enough to hide in. Confession is the only way out and the only way home. 1st John 1:9 is what I call the Sinners soap. Repentance with an open heart will lead us to see things Gods way, from his perspective. It is all part of the dieing to self and living in Christ. Running from sin will only turn the vice of conviction tighter. The very fact that we feel the vice, tighter than our shadow, reminds us the love of God was with us the whole time. His love never fails. Never varies. Never can we run from it, but we can run to it, and Heaven rejoices when one sinner or miss guided child of his says, "Forgive me", Let us pray:
My Father and my God, thank you for loving us and teaching us. Our hearts are always with you, but Lord we are weak. As Paul said, "we are drawn away and enticed by our own desire" or self wants. Lord I pray for the ones, your children with a burden on their heart. Lord help them to help themselves. You are the God of forgiveness, the God of hope. Hold us close to you. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.