Complicated Simplicity

My boys often hear me say: “Sin always takes you farther than you want to go and keeps you longer than you want to stay.”

“Yeah, we know, Mom,” says one of my sons as he plays his video game. “Sin is gross. Yuck. ”

“I know you know this,” I say. “But it’s true. So you’re welcome for the reminder.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure. You betcha. Sin spins a web of deceit; and the longer we stay, the more we become entangled. That’s why I like to talk about love more than sin. Sin makes me itch.”

Without looking up, he mumbles, “You sound like you’re allergic to sin.”

“Ooo, great analogy,” I say. “We’re ALL allergic to sin. Come to think of it: That’s why I absolutely love love. It’s soooo opposite sin. It’s so…. non-allergenic. It’s healing and freeing and beautifying. Best of all, love lives inside us because love is a person. What do you think of that?”

“That’s nice, Mom.”

“Sweetie, you know I pray for you each day, don’t you?”

“Yeah, sure.” Then his finger goes wild on the button. “No, no, no. Ahhhh. He got me!”

“So son, here’s the prayer I want to pray for you today. Oh, and don’t worry about closing your eyes…”

“Ok, I won’t.”

“Good. Here’s the prayer then: Lord, may people know the Rickers are Christians by our supernatural love. Amen.”

He suddenly looks up from his game. “That’s it? Whoa. Short one.”

“My point exactly,” I say. Then I sigh deep, like I caught the sunshine. “Love is simple. Sin is complicated.”

His eyebrows arch up. He shrugs, smiles, and turns back to his computer to kill something.

The end.