Beyond Common Sense

Just two ounces! That really couldn’t make any difference, could it?

Well, for the past few months, our cuckoo clock has had a problem: the weight which pulls the gear for the music would sometimes play and other times slip to the floor. I had thought that perhaps the cone-shaped weights were different sizes, so I took them with me to the bathroom scale and stepped on the scales consecutively with each in hand.  They each added only an extra pound.

So, step two: call the clock shop. They charged $125 to clean and oil it, and then they would see what the problem was. Hmm. Perhaps Mrs. Fix-it needs to step in! I messed with it, took the back off, and then started attaching smaller items to the chain to see if it would run with smaller amounts of weight. It did!

Then, I got to thinking about those weights. Perhaps I should weigh them individually on a more accurate scale. Ah-ha! There was just a 2-ounce difference between the weights, but it made all the difference! Amazing!

Such a little difference! I still can’t believe that was all that was wrong with it! Is there a lesson for us? Why sure there is! Did you know that if you go off course by just one degree, by 100 yards, you will miss your target by 5 feet! And if NASA made the same tiny error, the astronauts would miss the moon by over 4,000 miles!

Is this what Paul was telling the Ephesians when he said, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise (Ephesians 5:15).” How quickly we can end up someplace we don’t want to be. The statement, “It’s no big deal,” should raise a red flag, especially when spoken by teens but for adults as well.

Consider this…

Adam and Eve only shared one piece of fruit, but it crashed mankind into a sinful state.

Lot’s wife only looked once over her shoulder, and it cost her her life.

Moses only missed the command a little—he struck the rock instead of obeying exactly and speaking to it—and it cost him the joy of walking into the Promised Land.

David only stayed home from the battle once, but his wrong path led him to adultery, murder, and the death of his child.

Be careful. Making excuses for not obeying the Lord in the tiniest of ways can have eternal effects. We had a saying in our home before our nest was emptied: Obey immediately, exactly, and happily.  The kids are gone but the lesson is still the same! Should we really tempt the Lord with our “little” sins? I’m sure you’ve heard folks say that all sin is the same size in God’s eyes.  That is true, but it’s the little ones that the devil loves to use to trip us up! Beware! It may stop your clock!