Frogs and Us.

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (I John 1:9)

There once was a scientist who studied frogs. One day, the scientist put the frog on the ground and told it to jump. The frog jumped four feet. So the scientist wrote in his notebook, "frog with four feet, jumps four feet." So the scientist cut off one of one of the frog's legs. The scientist told the frog to jump. Frog jumped three feet. So the scientist wrote in his notebook, "frog with three feet, jumps three feet." So the scientist cut of another leg. He told the frog to jump. The frog jumped two feet. So the scientist wrote in his notebook "frog with two feet, jumps two feet."

The scientist cut off one more leg. He told the frog to jump. Frog jumped one foot. So the scientist wrote in his notebook, "frog with one foot, jumps one foot."

So the scientist cut off his last leg.

"He said, "Frog jump. Frog jump. FROG JUMP!"

So the scientist wrote in his notebook, "Frog with no feet, goes deaf."

How many of us are "scientists" when it comes to our philosophy of life? Let me paraphrase the frog story to explain what I mean:

There once was a Christian who studied life. One day, the Christian felt depressed, so he put his life events into a journal to see if his observations would help him figure out the reason for his unhappiness. The first day, the Christian lied once, gossiped twice, and coveted once. So the Christian wrote in his journal: "day had four sins, felt depressed four times". So the Christian decided to always tell the truth, not gossip, and be satisfied with his life. The next day, the Christian was unforgiving once, and hot tempered in traffic twice. So the Christian wrote in his journal: "day had three sins, felt depressed three times". So the Christian decided to forgive his friend, and be patient (especially in traffic). The next day, the Christian skipped his devotions and watched TV all day, and he stuffed his face with a fist full of Fritos and a bowl of chili. So the Christian wrote in his journal: "day had two sins, felt depressed twice". So the Christian decided to not be slothful or gluttonous. The next day, the Christian visited all the wrong sites on the internet. So the Christian wrote in his journal: "day had one sin, felt depressed once". The next day, the Christian didn't commit one sin! So the Christian wrote in his journal: "life with no sin, gets depressing".

It's right there in our face, isn't it? We harbor known sin, knowing that it wreaks havoc on our personal lives, and knowing that confession and repentance will restore our fellowship with our Creator. Yet when the time comes to come clean before God, we suddenly become convinced that if we let go of that little pet sin, our lives will be "happy challenged".

Here's an excerpt from another person who kept a journal about his spiritual life, except he came to the right conclusion.

"Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!

Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory." (Psalm 32:1-7)

King David was a "scientist" for a while, but he was also a man after God's own heart. Eventually he realized that true satisfaction and joy in life is impossible to find without righteousness, and secret sins are the surest way to sadness.

I believe we are all smart enough to realize that a frog without legs is not going to get anywhere. Let's also be brainy enough to grasp this concept: life without righteousness is going nowhere fast.

P.A.