Hidden Dangers

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

This past Friday was a great day to go fishing. We were in between cold fronts, the winds were fairly light and the fishing had been decent the past few outings. It was a perfect recipe for a great day on the water. So with delusions of grandeur I made my way to my favorite fishing hole these days, the Upper Laguna Madre.

I got to my fishing hole unloaded my rods and reels, tackle box and my new inflatable fishing vessel, the SS Youvegot2BkiddingMe. I busily got work inflating the chambers and within 20 minutes the boat was ready for the water. So I drug it into the water, secured the anchor and began loading my gear into the boat. Everything was going even better than planned….until…. That is until I heard a faint “hissssssssssss” and bubbles blowing under the bow. I moved the boat and listened again…”hisssssss” came the reply.

I picked up the boat and wouldn’t you know it a hole….the size of a pin prick in the bow of the boat. If I take the boat out, I might not get back, at some point the main chamber is going to deflate.

As I scanned the sand, I found the cause of my air retention crisis. A #6 hook was buried in the sand, with the point sticking up. Ouch!!!! A hook hidden from view had completely grounded the morning’s fishing expedition. That brings me to this morning’s thought:

Psalm 19:12 (NLT)
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Whether we want to admit it or not, each one of us has dark corners within us. Places where the light of God is not freely allowed to shine. These are the secret compartments of our lives. The places where sharp objects such as bitterness, hatred, envy, lust and greed dwell. At first glance these items are not readily visible, but brush against them and they have the ability to quickly puncture the soul. A bitter root deflates a potentially deep and meaningful friendship; a lustful barb reduces a beautiful human being to a piece of meat and these are just two examples of the dangers that lie within.

In my days as a police officer one of my duties was to train rookie police officers in the field training stages of their career. I used to tell them that the deadliest weapon that would be used against them over their careers was the “one you don’t see.” This bit of wisdom holds true to these areas of the soul. It is the “one you don’t see” that can wreak the greatest amount of havoc in your own life. That is why the Psalmist asked God to “Cleanse me from these hidden faults.”

This week I encourage you to ask God to shine the light of His presence throughout the landscape of your heart. Ask Him to expose those hidden dangers so that you can deal with them before they sink your ship.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

P.S. Through the power of duct tape, I was able to salvage my fishing day. 7 hours, 1 broken oar and some stiff muscles later…I caught 1 fish, but had a wonderful day.