A Grill and Me

 

The day God spoke to me while cleaning my grill

While cleaning the Barbecue grill these thoughts came into my mind, and because I do not think like this, I believe God was speaking to me about “Sin.”  It went something like this; have you ever given thought to how a barbecue grill and sin have a lot in common?  Wow, where did that thought come from?  No seriously, look at that decayed matter you have left on the grill, it seems as if it is imbedded into those stainless steel bars of your grill.  I’ve been watching and you are spending a considerable amount of time with steel pads and soap and a good amount of effort, and that decayed matter still has a hold in those hard to get areas.

I’ve notice how over the years you have been careful to put aluminum grill covers on the grills to keep the grease from dropping on the grill and yet like sin it was getting below the surface, out of sight, but today you have discovered it, and trying to remove it has been a long and difficult task.  Sin begins with just a small deception in your business with a customer, or in a marriage, it may be the girl at the club, and flirting with her makes the man feel young.  The wife, who feels the need to have a couple of glasses of wine during the day just to take the edge off while she watches “The days of our Life” or some other soap to fill her mind with doubt and disappointment about her place in life.  It a lot like your grill, at first it looks ok, but like the decayed matter on your grill, if not dealt with it gets real ugly.

You see what began with a flirtation will often end in adultery, it never begins there, but at the root is a man who is willing to put his desires before the vow he made before God and witnesses.   At first, he will fantasize, but after that he wants to conquer, and the end game is broken promises, broken lives, and often divorce.  What about the stay at home mom, those glasses of wine increase and before she has any understanding she is an alcoholic.  Like your grill it did not happen over night, it took a while, and sin, no matter what sin, has a way of building decay into the lives of people.  Bob, you need to pay attention to your grill, and you also need to pay attention to you mind, for it is your mind that is the door to your heart.  Embedded sin will dig deep into the heart and mind of a person, and it establishes roots that will leave blemishes and scars.  It has taken hours to clean your grill, but it will take your acknowledgement and confession for my grace to remove your sin.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice