Stinky Sins

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

“Ronan!” Mom called. “Can you take out the trash, please? I had to get rid of the old trash can, so you’ll just have to stack the bags in the garage for now.”

Ronan scowled. “Why can’t Daisy put it out for once? All she ever does is sit around and text her friends.”

Daisy scowled back at him. “At least I have friends!”

“Both of you, stop it!” said Mom. “Why do you kids have to fight all the time?”

Ronan didn’t say anything more as he grudgingly took out the trash.

When they pulled into the garage a couple days later, Daisy held her nose as she got out of the car. “Ugh! Something stinks in here!”

“It’s the trash!” said Mom. “Let’s move these bags out to the driveway. I’ll text Dad and remind him to pick up a new trash can on his way home.”

“Hey! Come back here and help!” Ronan called to Daisy, who was going into the house. “No wonder you didn’t get a part in the school play—they must have known you’d be too lazy to learn your lines!”

Daisy kicked at the bag he was holding. “Be quiet, dummy!” she yelled.

“That’s enough!” Mom said sternly. “You’ll both help.”

When they finished, Mom made them go to the kitchen and sit down. “Your attitudes remind me of that trash,” she told them.

“Sorry,” Ronan muttered. “Can I get up now?”

“No!” Mom pulled out a chair and sat down. “The way you’ve been acting stinks worse than the trash you took out of the garage today. Things like bad attitudes, selfishness, and jealousy hurt people Jesus wants us to love and drive them away from us. That’s why we need to confess those stinky sins to Jesus. He’ll forgive us and make us clean. He’ll also help us apologize to others for what we’ve done and replace mean, selfish attitudes with kindness and love.”

Daisy and Ronan were quiet for a moment, then they looked at each other. “I’m sorry,” they said in unison. That made them smile.

Mom stood up and grinned. “It smells better in here already!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Have you noticed any trash in your life lately? Sins like meanness, gossip, laziness, selfishness, and unkind words can really stink up your life and hurt your relationships with others. Ask Jesus to take out the trash! When you confess your sins to Him, He forgives you and makes you clean. Then trust Him to help you tell others you’re sorry and replace unkind attitudes with His love.

Today's Key Verse: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Confess sin and be clean