When I moved from Canada to North Carolina there were several things I bid a heartbreaking farewell to. Hockey was replaced by college football, ketchup chips were exchanged for sweet tea, and snow just sort of disappeared. Or so I thought…
It began with a light wind, which chilled the air and tickled the back of your neck. The sky faded to an ashen grey and the sun slipped behind thick clouds. When the weather forecast confirmed the chance of snow, Armageddon fell upon North Carolina. People poured into their nearest grocery store, pushing and shoving to get their hands on a carton of milk or a loaf of bread, both of which were fast becoming endangered species’!
During all the chaos, I chuckled and relaxed in my apartment. As the snow began to fall, I casually watched it from my window, reminiscing about the many such snowfalls I had experienced in Canada. “Foolish Americans,” I thought, “you could learn a thing or two from a northern pro like me!”
Then I noticed the people in the parking lot. An epic snowball fight had erupted, and everyone was joining in! Bundled up against the cold, the scene looked like it had floated in from a classic Christmas movie. I excitedly rushed to the closet to grab my jacket and join in when it hit me.
I had no winter jacket.
Desperately fumbling through every inch of my apartment, I came up empty handed. All I had was a light spring jacket, which barely kept me warm against the slight draft emanating from my fridge. In my southern migration, it had never crossed my mind to prepare for cold weather!
When I emerged from my apartment, I was greeted with calls of “Look at the Canadian, he doesn’t even need a jacket!” I smiled and nodded, hoping they didn’t notice my teeth chattering. Irony hit me like a ball of ice and my joy left in a convulsion of shivers!
One of the surest attitudes to bring ruin in my life is to think “That could never happen to me!” The minute I believe I am immune to certain sins, watch out! History is full of men and women who fell hard because they never saw sin coming.
Whether it is the pastor whose reputation is destroyed by an illicit affair, or the girl who lets her self esteem issues replace her meals, we are all in danger of ruin when we let pride sneak into our lives.
My own life has revealed to me how foolish it is to think certain sins are beyond my capacity. If I am not guarding my heart from evil, I leave the doors and windows wide open for it to enter. Never say “Never” when it comes to sin for that has been the famous last word of many well-meaning Christians. When we try to live life apart from God’s strength, the forecast says a storm is coming, and it will leave only wreckage behind.
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
Mike Blackaby is 25 years old and is the college and young adult pastor at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA. Mike loves to play music, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.