Was I hungry? No, probably not. Was I bored and home alone with a loaded pantry? Yes, I was. That’s how it started. An English muffin and some peanut butter.

My gluttony had been justified. It was healthy at least. But here’s the thing about peanut butter when it gets warm; it melts. And here’s the thing about me, I love peanut butter. So, I really loaded the muffin up with the gooey goodness!

I settled myself down on the couch, armed with only one napkin. Gross! A big blob landed on my lap! I panicked and quickly turned the muffin away from my lap.

Oh no! It’s dripping on the couch! On the verge of an anxiety attack, I quickly turned to the other direction. #%&! The biggest drop yet landed squarely on the edge of my Bible.

Now I had desecrated my Bible and … did I really just slip out a naughty word because I had messed up the Bible? Shamefully, yes I did.

That’s a lot like how sin works. “…each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their 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 NIV) We are dragged away by our own evil desire.

We take something that seems innocent, justify it, believe that we have it all under control with one napkin, and then watch as it spirals out of control.

A little bit of “righteous anger” lends itself to a little bit of “harmless gossip,” which turns into a little “white lie” and before you know it you’re in the gutter. Okay, so this is a little bit dramatic, but everyone over the age of 12 knows exactly what I’m talking about.

This is why the Bible instructs us to guard our hearts so that we may know peace. However, at this point the peanut butter has already been melted. You can ask forgiveness and the Bible tells us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

That doesn’t mean there is no work left to be done. God forgave me for cursing and for my gluttony, but I still had to clean up my mess. Character, trust and reputation are difficult to rebuild.

Thankfully, the evidence of what will be remembered in my home as “the great peanut butter incident of the year” left no stains on my Bible, the couch, my clothes, the carpet, the walls, the faucets, etc. Lesson learned. Peanut butter melts. But with humbleness and care, it can be cleaned up.