Watch out for the pebble

Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 2 Samuel 11:2,3

While running in the dark on a trail run this weekend, my headlamp illuminated a runner ahead of me who, by the mud caked on his back and clothes, had obviously fallen down sometime along the course. Since there were no large obstacles like fallen logs, gaping potholes or large roots coming out of the ground, it was safe to assume that he had most likely been tripped up by the small pebbles lining the road that so easily shifted. When I inquired of him, he admitted that he had indeed slipped on a rock and that "he didn't see that one coming." Isn't it ironic that most of us spend so much time looking for the 'big things' that might cause us to fall that we pay no attention to the 'little ones'? And those little ones, pebble by pebble, can easily trip you and me up. 

Consider the story of David. 2 Samuel 11 tells us that he, while walking around the roof of the king's house, saw a woman bathing. And here's where the 'little things' started to add up. The Bible says he saw that she was "very beautiful in appearance" indicating that David did not immediately turn away as he should have. He then, rather than forgetting the whole thing, "sent and inquired about the woman" and was told, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Finding out she was married should certainly have stopped him then right? As the story goes though, he sent for her, she became pregnant and David had Uriah killed to cover it all up. That one 'small thing' after 'small thing' quickly turned into a 'big thing' didn't it? I wonder if he saw that coming?

You know, if you are and I aren't careful the same can happen to us. While we should most certainly be on our guard to avoid those 'big things', the obvious acts that can cause us to sin, may we never forget that it takes just one small pebble to begin our fall. As I've heard it said:

It's "little" sins that trip us up
And cause an unexpected fall;
That's why we need to stay alert
To every sin, both large and small.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word to guide us through the pitfalls of this life. Help us to be ever vigilant and watchful for those things, big and small, that would cause us to sin or fall away. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

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Slow Fade - Casting Crowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wo26sCH-Fw