"Will You Let Jesus Unlock Your Prison Cell?"

A friend of mine shared this story:

Our daughter got a splinter in her finger. She ran to us in pain. We examined her wound and explained that we would need to pull the splinter out.

"Nooooo," she cried, "Don't pull it out, just put a band aid on it."

I can relate to the little girl.

If I am really honest, I too would rather have band aids. I too prefer to simply cover up and ignore the splinters that will or are bringing infection to me. Anybody else relate?

It is always easier to put on the band aid of anger than it is to do what Jesus says and that is go to the person with whom you have a problem and to work through it to reconciliation. And if that does not work, then Jesus says, take someone with you and if that does not work ask the leadership of the church to help the two of you reach reconciliation. How many of us are willing to go that far to pull out the splinter of conflict and division? Most of us, prefer a band aid, don't we?

It is always easier to put a band aid of denial on our habits, hurts and hang-ups than it is to admit them. The Bible says, "Godly sorrow, leads to repentance, which leads to life." But it is easier to blame God, others and the world for what is wrong with us than it is to take ownership. Confessing our sin before God and others will lead to healing as James 5:16 says, but it is a whole lot more comfortable to simply cover up our sin with a band aid.

It is always easier to put the band aid of worry over our future, than it is to trust God. Certainly the latter choice produces much more positive results, but then again so does pulling out a splinter. Just because the long term result is better, does not mean we will not insist on the short-term fix of a band aid.

The examples could go on and on, couldn't they? The reality is that left to ourselves we will choose a band aid over every other option, including eternal life.

That is why Jesus died on the cross. The cross is like a prisoner going free. To all who will admit that our sin-selfish choices have earned for us a death sentence now and forever; for all who will agree that there is nothing we can do to release ourselves from this death sentence, Jesus offers us something much greater than a band aid or a pulled out splinter. He offers to take our place in the prison cell so we can walk in increasing freedom through him now and eternal freedom forever and to now help others receive the same.

Will you let Jesus unlock your prison cell? Or will you cry, "No! Just out a band aid on it?"