About three years ago my little dog ripped an "L" shape in the left arm of my beautiful plaid love seat. We used to sit this couch by the window, but he has a fetish for the mail man and his little claws are too sharp. I have a fetish for this couch and the tear devastated me. I searched high and low for slip covers that might match and found some that work okay, but they do not make my heart sing like my plaid upholstery. I recently decided to repair the tear. I contacted a dear cousin that is known as gifted with the needle to ask her for advice on what to do. She informed me that if it is a simple tear it will be a simple solution. If it is frayed then it might be more complicated.

Excitement filled me up as I contemplated the pretty plaid upholstery displaying its secure attachment to the frame. My slip covers drive me nuts--they slip, hence, their name "SLIP". It is a never ending battle between me and them. They never seem satisfied with my personal arrangement of their fabric and I am not satisfied with their traveling skills. Yesterday, I lifted the slip cover up to begin my repair, what I saw grieved me. My simple "L" shape turned into a frayed torn mess. I quickly threw the slip cover over the tear and felt so defeated. The tear left to itself over time grew and affected a much larger area even while being covered.

As if the Holy needle of heaven pricked me, I instantly caught a truth. This is exactly what happens to my sin when I try to cover it. When I first act upon a sin it tears into the fabric of my walk and leaves a simple scar. If I confess it immediately then it is repaired without too much impact in other areas. However, if I wait and try to cover it up, over time it will continue to tear and rip into the fabric of my being leaving a frayed mess. Is it beyond repair? NO! But it might take more stitches to fix it up and maybe a patch or two. Either way, confessed sin can be removed. Unconfessed sin leaves scars.

My love seat is where I sit to do my daily Bible Study with the LORD. In fact, I am sitting on it to write this devotional. It will now and forever more be a visual reminder to me to confess my sins quickly and not try to cover them up. What about you? Can you relate? Have you had a time when you tried to cover up a sin in your life and it only left things torn and frayed? Remember, when we confess our sins HE (the Father in Heaven) is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness! Not some... all! Now, I must find someone to patch my couch!

The Fountain of Life
Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it,but folly brings punishment to fools. Proverbs 16:22

Have you ever tried to grasp a specific truth or situation and it just seemed to slip away? Your mind is not able to take hold of it, so comprehension just eludes you? Maybe you find yourself saying things like: “Focus!” “Listen!” “Think!” Or you try to ask questions, but the questions don’t make sense even to you. Visually, it makes me think of trying to pour water into a paper towel while it is cupped in your hand so you can get a drink, but the water absorbs into the towel and seeps out through your fingers. A paper towel just does not make a good cup. There may be a little water left, but not enough for you to drink and find filling because the majority of it ran through because the paper towel did not contain support to hold the water. The ability to understand can feel that way at times. It just seems to all seep out! Somehow the supply just eludes, and we can’t comprehend so that we can be successful with what we know and our understanding doesn’t allow us to find success. Yet, the Bible describes understanding as the fountain of life. What makes understanding like water to a thirsty throat? What enables the understanding to nourish or thoroughly absorb? What must we do in order to contain understanding? How is it that a person with understanding becomes a source of life to those that need it once they know how to contain it? How do we get it? I know I want it! Don’t you?

Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it, but folly brings punishment to fools. Proverbs 16:22

Excerpt from: The Golden Life, page 37. You can obtain your own copy at lulu.com by searching Tara Rye and then the book title.