A Slow Fade?

Things have been so insanely busy here due to our new schedule which mostly involves me spending A LOT of time with un-napping Vikings and me spending very little time seeing DaHubby before he falls into bed exhausted after his nightly class and/or nightly 1-3 hours of reading.

I feel like I'm still "just hanging on" each day and haven't had the free brain cells to put together a decent non-picture post. LOL But, during our recent and apparently yearly flooding episode, I did have a random, could be significant and maybe even profound insight. LOL

During our first major basement flooding, we realized that not only did the former owners of this house have a cat and dog but they had animals that were left for long periods of time without access to facilities to relieve themselves *ahem* If ya know what I mean. The water slowly taking over our home's lowest level was "reactivating" all the animal urine that had dried previously - leaving our house smelling so bad, we nearly had to stay with others 'til it dried back out.

As result, last summer DaHubby ripped all the carpet out of the basement except for a small 3 ft by 12 or 15ft long piece of carpet in the "closet" under the basement stairs. That piece remained due to the large shelving unit we made in there and the subsequent things stored on it. Basically, we were too lazy and too tired at that point to move all the stuff, dismantle the shelving, and relocated it to another part of the basement.

And, it is that one remaining piece of carpet that has been stinking up my house. Oh. my. goodness! And, poor DaHubby had to go pull it out of there Tuesday night half-asleep after a 10 hrs shift, a 3.5 hr class, and 2 hrs of homework...bless his heart.

Then, yesterday, I was signing along with another of my many favorite Casting Crowns songs:

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

As Christians, we often get arrogant that we are out of the reach of Satan and his evil lies. While we are definitively covered by the blood of Christ and his mercy, grace, and forgiveness, we can still be tripped up. What greater victory is there for Satan than to trip up a believer!?

The devil isn't stupid - he knows that is he throws a large boulder in our path, we'll immediately see it, know it's him, and avoid it. But, it's the pebbles that trip us up. It's the little stuff. That one piece of something we let in or the one little piece of something we leave behind and don't *really* repent of or have God cleanse us of that will come back to trip us up every time.

Then, it's a slow fade...

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

It was the one little piece of carpet that stunk up my whole house. And, it could be one little thing that leads a family, a father, a mother, a child initially astray.

Something seen...on the computer, the TV.
One thing heard...gossip in a conversation, an inappropriate joke.
One thing said...hurtful words, insincere comment.

We must remain constantly vigilant. We must NOT be arrogant or overconfident.

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

What "little things" have your little eyes, feet, ears, and hands been doing that they probably shouldn't be? And, are you sure that you're sure that you're sure it's not leading you away...into a slow fade?