The Forbidden Vine

…each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15

Listen to The Forbidden Vine – He Said

I only brushed against her. And it’s not like I went looking for trouble. She was just there, okay? I was shirtless and oiled with sweat. Not that I’m all that attractive in the buff. I don’t lift weights or crunch abs, but I do swim. Still, it was stupid of me to walk into her yard dressed (undressed) like that.

Now I can’t get her off my mind. The way she felt, the way she clung to me; it’s all I can think about. God, I wish it had never happened. But the itch is there. No matter what I do, it won’t go away. I lay in bed at night with my wife lying next to me and I want to scream as my skin crawls. I’d give anything to walk it back, to rewind that moment. But Ivy’s poison is in my blood, tormenting me.

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I had a brush with Poison Ivy last Saturday and now I’m paying for it. The resin got on my skin, seeped into my pores, and now red bumps cover my body. I’ve been down this tangled path before and I know how it’ll end–with scabs and scars.

Sin is like Poison Ivy. We brush against it, thinking nothing that’s green and lush and shiny can be that bad. But sin taunts us with its itch and, when it’s full blown, gives birth to death.

I’ve tried anti-itch cream. It helps some but the red bumps still scream to be scratched. Just like the thoughts that race through my head. “Come on, just do it! It’ll feel sooo good!” I wish I had an anti-sin cream. I’d lather in it. But there’s only prudence and common sense, and the instructions of the Grounds Keeper.

“Don’t troll in the garden of temptation. Turn away and cover your eyes when an evil wind blows. Don’t get all puffed up with pride because you think you’re ‘hot stuff.’” (I mean…really. Why should a man my age think he’s anything other than obsolete?)

We can no more wallow in the bed of sin and remain untainted than we can dive into a thicket of Poison Ivy and emerge itch-free.

If you find yourself caught in the tentacles of sin, stop. Back out, hurry home, and wash in the blood of Christ. The sooner you scrub the toxic resin from your body, the better you’ll feel.