SIN – A BRIGHT, SHINY ILLUSION
I remember walking down a street in a major city where only pedestrians were allowed. The street was lined with peddlers hawking their wares. I was walking at a quick pace thinking about reaching my destination. One guy was selling wands which make dozens of bubbles with one swinging motion. He was demonstrating how they work. Right before I got to where he was located, he swung his arm and produced a flock of bubbles that glistened in the sunlight. A big, shiny bubble floated right in front of my face, so instinctively I reached out and grabbed the bubble with my hand. Of course, the bubble burst and when I opened my hand it was empty.
Since then I have often thought of that bubble as a metaphor for the illusion of sin. Sin looks so attractive and appealing. It promises to satisfy all my desires. But these are empty, hollow promises.
The book of Proverbs portrays this principle vividly:
Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things.
You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.
“They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
Proverbs 23:31-35
Those glossy pages and touched up images in the magazine promise me pleasure. She is there inviting me to come and have a good time. She is always smiling. She always says yes. But there’s not really a person there. It’s an illusion. A beautiful bubble that will burst any second. After a momentary high, I’ll soon be left with the feeling of emptiness, guilt, and shame. This is awful. I hate it. I detest being a part of it. I abhor what it does to me. I hate the grip that it has on me. And then, just like the drunkard in Proverbs 23:35 who longs for another drink, my craving induces me to go back and take another look.
Jeremiah 2:13 states:
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
The scriptures show us what our life experiences have already revealed—we are all thirsty. But we try to quench our thirst with the wrong things. Like the sparkling bubble floating in the air, these pleasures look like they will give us what we want and need, but we end up with an empty cistern and no water to quench our thirsty souls. We need to look to the living fountain where we will discover the clear spring waters which only the Lord can offer us.
From the book: JESUS IS BETTER THAN PORN: How I Confessed my Addiction to My Wife and Found a New Life JESUS IS BETTER
