muffins and cookies

Two favorite books from my childhood revolve around woodland creatures and baked goods. Since becoming an uncle I have had the privilege of reacquainting myself with them when I am with my niece and/or nephew. As a result, I have learned If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin are far truer than the author probably intended.

For those unfamiliar with these literary works (and I think there is at least one more book with the same basic story) the story is a warning. In the case of the mouse, once he has a cookie he will certainly want milk as well. From there he will want to do other things such as get a haircut, take a nap, and draw pictures to name a few. In the end, he will come back to the cookie starting the cycle again.

In the case of the moose, once he has the muffin he will certainly want jam as well. From there he will want things such as a sweater, a knitting kit, and art supplies to name a few. In the end, he will be reminded of how much he wants a muffin bringing everything full circle.

In a nutshell, these books are excellent examples of my sin. At first I only want a muffin or a cookie. It's nothing drastic, just a small taste to feed my appetite. However, once I get it I am not satisfied. The object was only fulfilling while the sweetness attacked my taste buds. Therefore I go searching for something to go with it. When I get whatever it is, I find the sweetness only lasting a short while. Eventually I am running around like the mouse/moose trying anything and everything to satisfy my desire. With each and every item my dissatisfaction grows and grows instead of dwindling. In the end, I end up back where I started without any sense of satisfaction and a greater hunger than before. Where I thought giving in here and there would help quiet my appetite, it actually made it grow screaming louder and louder.

James spoke of this in the first chapter of his book. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (vs.14-15).

Giving in to our desires does not help solve the problem. It actually makes it a lot worse and more difficult to overcome. It's like eating the first Lays potato chip, when we know it's impossible to eat only one. It's the first step down a very steep and slippery slope.

For this reason, God's Word emphatically warns Christ's followers of the dangers of our sin. They aren't little hiccups, but attempts by our enemy to destroy us. They aren't merely typos we can go back and delete later on. They are traps meant to start the cycle addressed in James 1:14-15. They are meant to be the small pebble tossed harmlessly into the serene pool.

Let us be wise then and heed the advice of God's Word. When it comes to sin we are to: turn from it (Psalm 34:14), hate it (Psalm 97:10; 119:104), keep it from our eyes (Psalm 101:3), abhor it (Romans 12:9), flee it (1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 2 Timothy 2:22), put it off (Ephesians 4:22), not let it be named among us (Ephesians 5:3), stand against it (Ephesians 6:10-20), put it to death (Colossians 3:5), have nothing to do with it (2 Timothy 2:23), lay it aside (Hebrews 12:1), resist it (James 4:7), don't conform to it (1 Peter 1:14), put it away (1 Peter 2:1), abstain from it (1 Peter 2:11).

And these are merely a handful.