Joshua 7 vs. 1 (NLT)
But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.
When I was young, I thought I had magical powers. I knew how to make a person, or a thing disappear by closing my eyes, and it worked if my eyes remained closed. The problem was that sooner or later I had to open them and guess what, that person or thing was still there.
Do you have the elephant in the room, something that you need to deal with? Something that everyone knows is there because they can see it, smell it, hear it and day in and day out everyone is embarrassed or hurt by it.
Achan brought a curse to his entire family because he wanted something that did not belong to him, something he was told not to touch, something forbidden. How often do we invite pain and suffering to those we love because we want something that is forbidden?
We hide it among those we love, and the innocent victims endure the fear and shame that comes with it. They are unable to have confidence in the most sacred thing here on earth. When you decide, that what you want is more important than what your family needs, you open the doors for more hurt and pain.
Achan’s one lousy decision destroyed his entire family. As you live your life, may you have the courage to deal with the elephants in your room as well as face them head-on, get them out of your place of dealing and all the poop that comes with it. This decision could not only save the lives of those you love; it could make your house smell better too.
