Razor Cut
John Fischer

I was washing the windows in my son’s new apartment when I came across a good deal of dried paint blotches. They did a poor job of covering the windows when they spray painted these buildings. So I went out to the hardware store and picked up some single-edged razor blades—the only thing I know that will get this stuff off of windows.

Everything was going fine until about three windows into this project I pushed on the razor blade and felt a sharp pain in my index finger. In my haste I had picked up the razor wrong and I was pushing against a brand new blade with all the force of my bare finger. So I applied a band-aid, felt stupid, and went back to work. Minutes later, still berating myself for not noticing how to pick up a razor blade, I felt a sharp pain, this time in my back-up middle finger. Yep. I’d done it again, and I had done it while I was still thinking about how dumb I was to do it the first time.

Is your struggle with sin ever like this? You’re jumping all over yourself for falling as you fall right back in? Do you ever wonder how much patience God has for this kind of stupidity?

In Romans 2:3-4, Paul says, “Don’t you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing [wicked things] and not judge you when you do them?” Right about now you’re wondering how this is supposed to help the situation. But he goes on to say: “Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind He has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?”

Two things. Realize that God is very patient with us. He doesn’t expect instant change. He expects us to want to change and to try and change, trusting in His power in us to do it. But even then, there is a process to this. We will do stupid things. And then do them again. That doesn’t mean God leaves us or removes His love from us.

That’s where the second thing comes in. If we want God to give us a break, as it were, we have to be willing to give everyone else the same chance. You can’t receive mercy and not give it to others. That’s the one disqualification for mercy. That would be like me standing there with two fingers bandaged making fun of my son for hitting his thumb with a hammer… for the second time!

PDL