PAM DEMONIUM
They had the best of intentions, but. . . . It all started on a Unitel Saturday, when life as we know it, is put on hold in favor of calling family and friends for free. Sheila (my wife) was in the midst of her weekly telethon -- walking about the house doing this and that while chatting to mom and dad on the cordless phone. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw our can of Pam sitting on the counter. Picking it up, she noticed this supposed-to-be-full can was now substantially-less-than-full (we're talking stick-to-your-muffin-pan empty).
What happened to the contents? How many villains were involved? Who, or what became the victim(s)? Inquiring minds wanted to know. Sheila donned her Sherlock cap to investigate. The first suspects? -- David and Graham, our four-year-old twins. They were looking unusually angelic at the time (a dead giveaway). With patience and persuasion, the culprits confessed and the crime was reenacted. It seems that the boys spied the can and identified it as the spray cleaner mom uses. The wheels started turning . . . mom's busy on the phone, why don't we do her a favor and clean our room. . . . won't she be pleased!?
With cloth and can in hand, off they went. Their mission? To clean where no man has cleaned before (Not really. Sheila's a good housekeeper). Pam was sprayed from stem to stern. The room may not have been any cleaner, but, boy did it shine! Thanks to the "spray squad," Sheila spent considerable time with rag in hand, retracing the spray prints at the "scene of the grime."
What's the moral? We may think we have the truth, but that doesn't mean we do. Someone recently said to me,"It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in something." Is that true? Do all roads lead to Heaven? Is faith more important than substance? Is the fact that I believe (emphasis on "I") more important than what I believe? A lot of people have this perspective, but are they right?
David and Graham believed that our Pam was a cleaner. Did their beliefs make it true? Did their faith in that can make the room clean? If I have faith in a tree, a rock, or a fat bank account, will my faith be a real source of comfort and strength? Will my faith make me a better person? Will that faith save me? Jesus said,"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The TRUTH is Jesus. Only faith in Him (emphasis on "Him") will make us clean.
The boys were mistaken in their choice of cleaner. That choice brought a little inconvenience (I can say that because I didn't have to clean it up). But, the choice millions make in choosing their own "truth" is eternally tragic. Place your faith in the One who not only knows the truth, but IS the TRUTH — Jesus Christ.
