Getting Rid of the Stumbling Blocks

October 10th, 2006

I have a confession to make. I have never been the most coordinated person when it comes to certain things. If I’m being honest, I would say that I can be a rather clumsy person.

I grew up as one of the tallest kids in my class each year, and it soon became a struggle not to hit my head on certain things, even on the doorway as I got off the school bus. I also have a tendency to not pay attention around low ceiling fans or wet floor signs, both of which have caused me pain in the past.

This reminds me of one of my favorite television shows that I watched growing up The Dick Van Dyke Show. While I was far too young to have seen the original shows as they came on, I loved watching reruns as they played on TV.

You may remember the opening sequence of the show, where Dick Van Dyke would open the door, greet his family, and inevitably trip over the ottoman that was sitting in the middle of the floor. Though I enjoyed watching this show, as a young boy I began to be concerned after a while. I remember wondering why this man tripped over the same footstool every week. Couldn’t he remember that it was there, and not trip over it? Couldn’t he just move the footstool?

While I was a little naive at that time and didn’t realize that this wasn’t really happening every single week, I do believe this same idea hits close to home for many of us. When it comes to our spiritual lives, we often stumble and trip over the same things, day after day after day. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 14, God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel about this same concept. He tells him that the Israelite people have set up for themselves “stumbling blocks” which have kept them from God. I believe we do the very same thing today.

Many times we struggle with the same sins, or with the same temptations over and over again. These sins and struggles eventually keep us from a true relationship with God. However, instead of just moving the footstool, we decide to keep it right in the way, knowing that we’ll eventually trip over it again.

The writer of the book of Hebrews gives us some good advice on this topic, when he says that we should “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). In other words, get rid of it. If you struggle with temptation every time you enter a certain place, don’t go there. If you most often struggle spiritually when you’re with a particular group of friends, cut down the amount of time you spend with those people.

While each situation may not be so simple, the message is so clear. If something is tripping you up, move it out of the way. Clear the obstacles that stand between you and a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Entry Filed under: Will's Blog