Ed, my old neighbour from Saskatchewan, called yesterday to complain that his luck had deserted him last week. His foot was a little heavy on the gas pedal, and he got a ticket for speeding. His wife, Ruby, did the "I told you so" blame thing, which led to cranky words and periods of strained silence that lasted the better part of the week.
At curling, Ed tripped on the hack, slipped and fell down on the ice on one knee. He was disgusted when his teammates asked him if he needed glasses or to quit drinking.
Knowing Ed was still grumpy and wanting sympathy, I tried to cheer him up with a story that I was reading when he called. I told Ed about Keith Schultz, who made the news from Ridgecrest, Calif. The 28-year-old man is very slim and planned to slide down the chimney of an upscale home. He intended to enter the house through the chimney so he could disarm the alarm system and then let his fellow robbers into the house.
Things went from bad to worse for Schultz as he got stuck in the chimney and called for his fellow thieves to help him. When they couldn't help him from the roof, they broke into the house setting off the alarm to try to set him free. They could not free Schultz from the chimney from inside the house either. The best they could manage was to call 911 and reported him stuck in the chimney. They took off and left Schultz to face the police and firefighters alone. The firemen freed Schultz from the chimney. He was checked out at the hospital and then taken to jail and booked. "Was he unlucky or asking for trouble?" I asked Ed.
Ed was quick to answer that Schultz was asking for trouble. I asked Ed, “Is speeding unlucky or asking for trouble?”
Ed answered, “It is only asking for trouble if you get caught. If you don’t get caught you are lucky.”
I offered, “If you get caught and pay a fine then you are unlucky?”
“Of course,” Ed answered. “It’s not rocket science.”
It is hard to get agreement on what is lucky or unlucky, what is asking for trouble, and who is to blame and who isn’t. God is clear that we are all under sin. Our sin can be traced back to Adam and Eve. They were the first to sin, but we continue to sin today. Sin is asking for trouble. We may sin, and there is no immediate consequence. People who speed do not always get caught and pay a fine. Sadly, we tend not to worry about sinning; instead, we are mostly concerned when we get caught. We may also focus on what sins others are up to if they impact our lives.
Some boast about their sins, others deny their transgressions, God does not ignore our sins for they will and do bring trouble and hurt to ourselves and others. He sent his Son Jesus Christ to act on our behalf. With faith in Jesus, our sins are not counted against us. Thankfully, Jesus was sinless for all sinners.
