It's the little things that kill.

One of the things that I am trying to do for the next month with my SWORD approach to life is read more. Not just the bible or devotionals, but all sorts of books.

While reading "The Power of Full Engagement" this weekend I came across something that struck me. Here is what I read:

"Remarkably, more women dies as a consequence of hip fractures than from breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer combined."

I'm not sure why that sentence stopped me in my tracks. It might be because my mom had a bone issue in the past and is actively trying to strengthen them. It might have just been a surprising sentence, but the more I looked at it, the more it felt like it related to sin.

It's easy to point out and maybe even foresee big loud sins in our lives. When someone hits on you when you're out of town on a business trip. When someone approaches you about a chance to skim some money at work. When you have an opportunity to cheat on your taxes. Those are all really obvious. They have attention focused on them. The issue is neon. Much like breast cancer awareness has a month dedicated to it, people are widely aware of the consequences of an affair.

But what about the "small" sins? What about those little things we do when no one is looking? What about those seemingly harmless white lies or small issues that don't seem to visibly hurt anyone? What about the tiny cracks in our bones that eventually lead to hip fractures?

I think it's important to focus on both. I think that sometimes we die deaths of a thousand cuts when it comes to sin. Because if you reread that sentence, you'll notice it's not hip fractures that kill people, it's the "consequence of hip fractures." They leave you vulnerable and weak and injured. They don't kill you, but they contribute to an eventual demise. Sin works the same way. You might not pay today, the check might not come in the mail this afternoon, but at some point, consequences always come to light.

I want to encourage you today to think about the potential hip fractures in your own life. Seek out and sort out the little things that might hurt you down the road. Because in this life, it's the little things that kill.