A Tennis lesson!
Soul Snack 9/190 ... Keeping others safe!
In my foolish, misspent and indulgent youth I would justify my poverty of actions and thoughts with a refrain that would go something like this ... 'it doesn't matter too much what I do as long as I do not hurt another.'I suspect that I was not the only one to self-justifyingly think that way.
On Feb 6th 1993 tennis star Arthur Ashe died from HIV he received through a blood transfusion while undergoing open heart surgery.
Considering the transmission of HIV I am completely unable to shake the thought that it was another's sin that first contaminated the blood he received.
One sin led to an innocent life lost.
There is a sickening default mechanism to all sin, and indeed my sin.
My sin will always have a broader impact on others, quite often unseen until it's too late. The nature of sin is that it will never be conducted in a vacuum.
Hmmm ... have you ever reflected that in pursuing Jesus' righteousness, your sinlessness is actually a protection - not only for those you know but those you don't know!