Sugarcoated Sin
| He [Moses] chose
to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a short time. Heb. 11:25, NIV. |
I’ll never forget
the first time we flew into the poverty-stricken village of Ocoroni, Mexico,
to hold a dental clinic. The minute we touched down on that tiny 1,500-foot
dirt landing strip more than 100 children ran to the plane, hoping for
handouts. When they smiled up at us, my heart sank. Many of them had their
front teeth rotted off to the gums because of the habit of sucking on sugarcane.
The children suffered from
ignorance and poverty. Sugarcane made them feel good. But they had no one
to tell them it was a deceptive pleasure that would end up destroying their
teeth, causing them incredible pain and eventual loss.
We could do little with those
who flocked to our open shed where we set up our dental clinic but pull
teeth. One woman kept trying to move ahead in the line. Through an interpreter
we learned that because of the pain she was suffering she had walked 30
miles (50 kilometers) to get to the clinic, and would have to go back home
that day. I pulled 15 of her teeth, each one so rotted down to the gums
that I hardly had anything to get a grip on. If only these people had realized
the hidden dangers of sugarcane!
Then I thought about the
children in my country whose front teeth had begun to rot. Not from sugarcane,
but from apple juice, soft drinks, and soda pop given in a bottle from
the time they were tiny babies. Some parents didn’t know how dangerous
it was to allow a child to suck on juice or milk and fall asleep with their
teeth literally “sugarcoated.” Others, not wanting to put up with a fuss
at bedtime if they removed the juice-filled bottle, allowed their innocent
children the pleasure that would later result in damaged teeth.
It made me think about how
much sin is like sugarcane or the sugar-sweet liquid in a bottle. It tastes
good at the time, but without realizing it, we are being destroyed. The
pleasures of sin, even for a short time, can have long-lasting and painful
consequences.
| Lord, open my eyes to the hidden dangers
of “sugarcoated” sin. |
|