Jimmy Kickmam, an 89-year-old construction worker from Prince Edward Island, Canada decided that if he lived to be 90 years old, he would dig his own grave. He said, “I want my grandchildren to remember that I had a sense of humor.” i think he will succeed. i’m SURE they will tell the story at his funeral and at many family gatherings to follow.
Digging your own grave because you want to or because you have a sense of humor is very different from being forced to dig your own grave, or even worse, unknowingly digging your grave.
Evil men throughout history have forced both prisoners and slaves to dig their own graves. i can’t imagine what it must be like to dig a grave knowing that as soon as it’s finished, a bullet, knife, club, noose or whatever weaponry the powerful wield against the weak will be employed and then, i, the digger of the grave become its occupant.
As horrible as it sounds, it happens every day. Maybe not literally. But in so many ways, we dig our own graves. It starts out as just shovel of dirt, then becomes an inescapable pit and eventually, if left unchecked, an eternal grave. With every action (big or small) that leads us away from Christ, we dig the hole a little deeper.
Every time we ignore that still small voice and go our own way. Deeper
Every decision we make that feeds the flesh versus the spirit. Wider
Every self-destructive thought that leads to self-destructive actions. Longer
Every secret text message
Every pornographic video
Every illicit interaction
Every “emotional” morsel of food eaten
Every anorexic or bulimic decision
Every blunt. Every Line. Every Happy Pill.
Every "little lie"
Every time we trust ourselves instead of God
Deeper. Wider. Longer.
Hole. Pit. Grave
Before you know it, there’s a perfect grave. Three feet wide, eight feet long and six feet deep. The man in the photo dug this pit without the benefit of machinery. No backhoe, no fancy equipment. Just a shovel and the strength of his arms, legs, and back. At first, it was “easy,” but at some point, instead of throwing the dirt down or to the side, he began throwing the dirt up. The deeper he dug, the lower he went and the harder it was. That’s the thing about digging a pit. The deeper you go, the harder it is to get out.
Craig D. Lounsbrough nailed it, “More times than I can remember I look around and I ask why the hole I’m in looks so strangely familiar. Probably because it looks a whole lot like all the other ones I dug before I got around to digging this one.”
The pit is a dark, lonely and difficult place, but God delivers when we cry out with David.
“Answer me speedily, O Lord, for my spirit fails; hide not Your face from me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit (the grave).” Psalms 143:7
Are you in a pit? Is sin closing in on you? i have good news!
He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence
[He] redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion
Psalm 103:45 (Message)