The Broken Watermelon Bowl

I unwrapped it nearly 10 years ago. I wasn't thrilled by it's gaudiness when it first came into my possession. I even considered getting rid of the thing. But, it had a certain quirkiness to it that made it stick around, year after year, surviving many purging sprees and spring cleanings. IT was a large bowl, in the shape and color of a halved watermelon; IT was a wedding present; and IT had become a favorite of mine. I would ball watermelons and put the fruit in it, making it all the more adorable. IT had become the watermelon bowl.

On a HOT summer day, watermelon was just the ticket to cooling all of us down as we sat on the front stoop. My oldest had the right idea and brought the whole bowl out with several forks. After gobbling several mouthfuls, I began to poke around in the garden, pulling weeds. When I looked up she was coming towards me with the heavy bowl of watermelon. Before the words formed on my lips, the bowl slipped out of her fingers and onto the concrete sidewalk. I felt my shoulders pull up and my whole face scrunch up as if it happened in slow motion. Did I mention IT was ceramic? 

CRASH!!

I about near lost my mind. Oh child, what were you thinking? I loved that bowl! I got that FOR MY WEDDING! I wanted to cry, but she beat me to it and ran to me clutching my legs with apology after apology. In that moment, forgiveness did not come to me easily. I wanted to discipline, make myself feel better, honestly, seek revenge. I could have. I am the parent. And she did do something wrong after all. Instead, I held her long enough to make the choice of forgiveness. Today I would teach her (and myself!) a lesson about God's love.

Do you know he does not take even a moment to think about forgiving you when you ask? He doesn't hesitate, He does not contemplate.

"You know what?" I said. "No big deal. I did love IT, but IT is just a bowl. We'll get a new one. You're more important that a bowl dear." She cried, "I loved it too mama." Then it was like we lost something together, but gained the understanding that things are not as important as people.

It also made me think about God's perspective of us. What things does God value that we break? He desires that we live upright lives, following his commands, honoring his instructions. And yet we flub up. Sometimes by honest mistake, sometimes out of selfish stupidity, sometimes in outright disobedience. Do you know he does not take even a moment to think about forgiving you when you ask? He doesn't hesitate, He does not contemplate. He just forgives. Because he values us more than anything else (which is why he gives us commands and instructions in the first place- to help us live healthy and whole lives) 1 John 1:9 says that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." He is good and fair and when we ask, he forgives.

Note: when we ask. Right before 1 John proclaims God's willingness to forgive, verse 8 says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Imagine a different watermelon bowl scenario. In the first, my daughter knew she did something amiss, she grieved what had happened almost as much as I did. But what if instead, she looked at the watermelon bowl, then looked at me and said, "I didn't drop it!" Or what if she ignored that it happened at all, stepped over the glass, and continued to play. Or worse yet, what if she delighted in the broken bowl, sitting down amongst the shards, gleefully playing with the pieces? What if she blamed me for her mistake, stating I should have never put the delicious watermelon in a ceramic bowl? Of course she was going to break it with those kinds of standards! 

That would all be ridiculous don't you think? Some would say, nonsense: "If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins-make a clean breast of them- he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out and out contradict God- make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God." (A different version of1 John 1:8-10; the Message.) Like the broken watermelon bowl, sin (the breaking of God's instructions) cannot be ignored. Something must be done with it. 

The renewed man acts upon new principles, by new rules, with new ends...

Someone must also clean it up. I wasn't about to make my 4 year old clean up sharp edged ceramic pieces (although I did steer her out of the mess since she was standing bare foot among the glass.)  Not only does God forgive our sins but he purifies us of the wrongdoing, he cleans us up. We are made new..."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) We talked once or twice about the bowl that night, because she brought it up and needed assurance that all was ok. But other than that, all was cleaned up, made new. I even bought another watermelon that day (couldn't find a bowl quite as fantastic though!) And hopefully Adelaide learned something about trapsing around with heavy filled ceramic watermelon bowls. Matthew Henry comments on 2 Corinthians, "The renewed man acts upon new principles, by new rules, with new ends...Though he is the same as a man, he is changed in character and conduct." When we receive forgiveness, we should learn our lesson too, turning from the sinful activity. 

In John 8 Jesus is approached by many men of the law who bring with them a woman caught cheating on her husband. These men had been trying to make a fool of Jesus since the day they met him and were also super bent on making people pay for their unrighteousness (mostly because they fancied themselves to be perfectly holy.) They reminded Jesus that the penalty for this sin was death by stoning and asked him his thoughts on the matter. Jesus' next move makes me laugh a little. As if bored by their queries, he bends down and starts playing in the dirt. As in: the dirt interests him more than these overly pious men. Then I hear him say very matter-of-factly, "Well, whoever is perfect should be one to throw the first stone." (My paraphrase.) Slowly they slink away until it's just Jesus and the woman. The following conversation ensues:

"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 

"No one, Sir."

"Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more."

Don't ignore the broken watermelon bowl. Run to Jesus, wrap your arms around him and apologize. I guarantee he will not be slow to forgive. Then go and sin no more.