Never to Return to Our Sins

            “As a dog returns to its own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” (Prov. 26:11)

As you may or may not know, dogs lick themselves, which is why I didn’t bother to turn around when I heard such sounds coming from my beloved pet sitting in the back seat. Several minutes later, I couldn’t help but notice the incessant licking noises getting louder and more persistent. What struck me as odd was that I had never heard my dog doing it for that long or that enthusiastically before. When I finally turned around I saw, to my horror, that he wasn’t licking himself, but rather his own thick pool of vomit! Needless to say, I myself almost puked after getting just a whiff of that noxious smell, let alone witnessing the awful sight and sounds of my dog eagerly trying to lap up more, despite my verbal protests and desperate efforts to yank him away from doing so!

In the same way, our loving and merciful Lord Jesus Christ tries to pull us away from our own vomit, that is, our sins. Instead, we senselessly struggle against Him, to keep licking it up, to keep committing sin. Sounds gross, but it’s true. What’s worse is that sometimes we’re so desensitized that we don’t even notice the wretched stench or realize how disgusting and filthy it is in His sight. He has given us guidelines to follow for our own good so that we can be spared from suffering the consequences of sin. But rather than gratefully accepting the many ways He tries to help us stay away from sin, we may be resentful or even purposefully rebellious, erroneously thinking that He is restricting our freedom. We may arrogantly do things our own way, as if we know better than our omniscient God Almighty! 

So the next time you’re faced with the temptation to sin again - whether it’s with your thoughts, words, or actions - think about it in that light and make the right choice.  Are you going to insist on licking up your vomit again or are you going to submit to God’s gentle tugs, to heed His wise warnings?

 

            Question for Reflection:

What concrete steps are you going to take so as not to return to your “vomit,” to repeat the same “folly,” to commit the same sin?