This weekend is our school's car wash and we had a great day yesterday. The sun was out all day and it was warm without being hot. The low humidity made it an enjoyable day and we had lots of customers. We made sure all the children had ample sunscreen in thick layers, re-applied every few hours. The sun of today is not like the sun of my childhood and there is significant danger from sunburns in this age. However, that did not cause this foolish man to pause for a moment to apply the stuff to himself. No, he thought he was the exception, that nothing bad would happen to him.
What is strange is that I am a stickler for not talking on the cell phone while driving, always wearing a bike helmet and teaching children of the danger of smoking. I made sure everyone else understood the need for sunscreen and it even crossed my mind at one point that I should stop and put some on, but it was just a fleeting thought. It wasn't until a friend told me I was looking pretty red that I asked my wife to help me with some sun screen, but that's like closing the barn door after the horses have run away. It was only when I came home and looked in the mirror that I understood the extent of my foolishness. Don't laugh! You know if we are willing to be honest, there is something in each of our lives that reminds us of our foolish nature.
We are foolish by nature, even if it only reveals itself in one or two things. We may be wise in many areas of our lives but waste a lot of time watching TV. We may be great at a lot of things but exercise is not one of them. We may have great intelligence for our work but we throw friendships away like they are yesterday's socks. We know the truth about eternity and the importance of Jesus but we are always going to improve on that tomorrow.
This has to be the most foolish thing that we can do, putting off Jesus, because it is an eternal matter. We accepted him as Lord many years ago but we just haven't found the time to grow in him. We know that we should do better but it's hard to find the time to go to church. Maybe we do find the time to go to church but we can't find the time to do any of the other stuff to grow in our relationship with Jesus. Bible reading, prayer, personal worship are not religious things but instead stepping stones to getting to know Jesus better. Developing friendships within the church helps set up accountability because we all need accountability. In fact it is accountability that often saves us from our foolishness, knowing that we have a friend that will ask us the tough questions and who desires the best for us.
My accountability partner told me several times yesterday that I needed sun screen but sometimes men just don't listen to their wives. That is another foolish thing men do because most women have a natural wisdom that men desperately need. We need some accountability in our lives, especially spiritually, to help us get beyond our foolishness. We must grow in Jesus and accountability will help us get there. You don't want to arrive on the other side of eternity and have to stare into the results of your foolishness.
Once we are gone from this place there is no chance to close those proverbial barn doors. Now is the time to take action and do something about our relationship with Jesus Christ. Today is the day we need to take a step closer and get ourselves oriented to him so that everything in our lives rotates around him. That is how salvation works. That is what is meant by a new birth, a new creation; everything changes. Today is the day to apply that "sun screen", removing all fear, foolishness and anxiety, so you can simply enjoy your "day". Throw off your foolish ways and get serious with Jesus today.
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