Living in an Explosion of Chaos Because of Sin - Trusting my Redeemer!

Have you ever been surprised when, even after careful, detailed planning, you encounter a catastrophe . . .or at least an unexpected mishap?

On Tuesday morning, May 12, I was cleaning a refrigerator. I had previously spilled some water from frozen fish in the appliance, and I wanted to clean it up. I took many precautions. I had a bucket of warm water and Pine Sol. I also used a bottle of spray liquid cleaner and disinfectant. I had a clean rag for wiping. I began spraying and wiping down the freezer with the rag which I had dipped in the Pine Sol cleaner. Then I worked lower, in the refrigerator – that’s where the juice had spilled. I sprayed and wiped the door, and then in the body of the refrigerator itself. On the bottom was a shelf with two sliding “crisper” drawers underneath. That is where the fish juice had settled. The door of the refrigerator did not open far enough for me to slide out the drawers. However, the shelf was removable. I lifted the shelf and removed first one, then the other drawer. I put them in a safe place. Then I took the glass shelf from the bracket. I had cleaned out a place next to the refrigerator and picked up the glass and tried to very gently prop it on the floor. I started with the corner of the glass to then easily settle it onto the floor. However, in all those detailed, careful preparations, something I did was a mistake.

The safety glass from the shelf . . . EXPLODED! Shards of glass flew all over the floor, into my shoes, under the refrigerator, and throughout the space beside this appliance. A shard of glass also flew into the tip of the index finger on my left hand, and blood started dripping, and dripping. There was blood on the floor, in my sink, in the refrigerator. Somehow there was blood in the laundry basket. Upon examination, there was still a small dagger of glass in my finger. After removing the glass, I put the finger in my mouth and went into our house to get Kathy to help me with a band-aid. Blood still dripped onto the floor, on the kitchen table, and down my hand. She finally got my finger cleaned off and applied a bandage which stopped the bleeding for a while, until the bandage fell off and blood started dripping again.

Finally, I swept up glass, vacuumed glass, and wiped up blood. I thought I had done everything carefully, correctly. I had my supplies out. I was organized, and thorough, and gentle in handling the shelving. Yet, in less than one second, in spite of my preparation and attention to detail, the glass EXPLODED, and it took me over an hour to clean up the mess, to clean up the chaos.

I know my accident is not a major disaster compared to a fatal auto accident, an unplanned illness, or a mistake in judgment for a relationship. I had just created a big mess which caused time and effort to clean up. However, there are times when unexpected chaos breaks it’s way into our lives with undesired consequences.

For example, do you remember Adam and Eve in Genesis 3? Yes, God had commanded them not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:16-17) They knew it was wrong, but they were tempted and they gave in to that temptation. Yet, it was only a piece of fruit. Do you think they knew their disobedience would bring curses on the whole world? After this sin God cursed the serpent. The woman and the serpent now have an eternally tense relationship. Child-bearing now includes pain. The relationship between husbands and wives include power struggles. The ground is cursed. Work is now a labor that requires the sweat of our brow. And, because of this one deed, God kept his word, and death has entered our world. One piece of fruit, one act of prideful rebellion and selfishness, and chaos exists everywhere. (Genesis 3)

Because of the sin in our world, because of our rebellion against our Creator, our whole world is cursed. We face mishaps, like my cleaning disaster. Misfortune, suffering, and death are constantly attacking us, even if we plan ahead. God did not wish these consequences. They are a natural result of our sin and the sin in our world. We can deal with our troubles, but we cannot overcome the cause of our trouble. I was again reminded that I need a helper, a Savior, someone to see me through the curse. I need hope instead of despair. I need a way toward forgiveness of my sin.

God provides that Savior, that Redeemer, in Jesus. Consider 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus took on our sin so that we might be reconciled, so that we might be forgiven, so that we might have new lives here and eternally. The surprising GOOD NEWS is that we are ambassadors. We get to share this new life in Jesus with others, in the midst of the catastrophic chaos which they face!

I pray that, in the suffering and pain and problems of your life, you know the reconciliation and the new life we have in Jesus. I also pray you share this love, this reconciliation with others, even in the midst of their struggles.