Sin and Fribbles
By George “Chip” Hammond
When I was young, I suffered excruciatingly with bouts of indigestion. I’d get these about eight to ten times a year, and when they came, they were debilitating. Antacids didn’t help, and I would just sit in a chair or sit up in bed in silent agony waiting for the episode to pass, which could take up to six hours or more.
When you’re hurting, your mind races about to look for ways to stop the pain. One day it occurred to me. There was a Friendly’s restaurant down the street from where we lived. They have a milkshake called the Fribble. It’s cold, it’s thick, and it was just what I needed to soothe the burning. I could feel the soothing alleviation of pain in my mind as I envisioned drinking. Pushing aside the pain, I headed out to Friendly’s for a to-go order.
I can’t tell you the sense of satisfaction I felt as the frozen concoction went down my gullet. Relief from the pain at last! All was good in the world again. But within ten minutes after drinking it, I was writhing in agony. The pain, which I already would have placed on the scale as a dull ten, had gone to eleven.
I went to see my doctor shortly after, and he told me that a Fribble was the worst thing I could drink for my acid reflux. The amount of sugar and fat it contained would only stimulate acid production, and besides this he suspected that I might be lactose intolerant, which would make it all the worse. He told me that I should drink water throughout the day and drink more of it if the symptoms came on. He explained that water is Ph neutral and would help keep my stomach from going into acid producing overdrive. What he said made perfect sense, so I thanked him for his advice and promptly disregarded it.
I was wise in my own eyes. Fribbles are thick and go down slowly. Water is – well, watery. And besides, I didn’t like the taste of water, and the thought of drinking it through the day made me mildly nauseated. And I knew from experience that if I drank it when I was having an attack there would be no immediate relief, and pain like that screamed for immediate relief.
Not long after, the next bout of reflux came, and despite my doctor’s advice, my feelings told me that a Fribble would bring relief. I’m not sure why I believed this. Fribbles had not worked before. Well, that’s not actually true – a Fribble had not permanently worked before. In fact, drinking it felt good on my esophagus while I was in the act of drinking it. So I went out and got a Fribble. Relief! Until about ten minutes after I finished it. Then agony. There was only one thing to do after that, of course. I needed go get another Fribble. Relief! And then the pain was even worse. Just as I was contemplating a third Fribble, I came to my senses. If my stomach and chest hurt more after a second Fribble, what would it be like after a third? And truthfully, neither my wallet nor my pancreas could afford this “cure.” And so while every fiber in my being screamed, “Go get another Fribble!” I fought the strong feelings prompted by the pain and the “cure” that I “just knew” would work and went and got a big glass of ice water. It didn’t taste good. And it didn’t help at first. But after about two hours the pain was gone. These days I drink water more regularly, stay away from most dairy, and I seldom have a bout of acid reflux.
Struggling with Pain
Over three decades in the ministry, I’ve observed that sometimes Christians can struggle with a pain that is so palpable they just want relief from it. It may be a physical pain, or the pain of loneliness, or an emotional or psychological pain, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be rid of pain. The problem comes when the only apparent solution, the one that seems natural and right is something that is contrary to how God’s Word tells us to live or behave.
The great temptation is to be wise in our own eyes; to thank godly friends and counselors for their advice and then promptly ignore it. The Bible speaks of the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). Like my Fribbles, the course of action seems like it will help, but in the end it only makes things worse.
Two passages in the book of Proverbs tell us that there is a way that seems right, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25). I have encountered Christian people who are suffering and struggling, who have not rejected their faith, and do not want to do what is wrong, but they want to be rid of their pain. So they drink the Fribble. They do what’s contrary to God’s Word and the encouragement of true friends. And the Fribble helps – for a little while. And then the pain returns and increases. So they double down, and drink from the Fribble fountain again, but they don’t find any lasting relief. Things keep getting worse.
Wisdom
Sometimes even wise people make bad decisions when they are in exigent circumstances. Pain will do that to you. No one is at their best or thinks clearly when they are dealing with excruciating pain. We need the help of others. But who those others are is important. We have an insidious bent toward “confirmation bias” – wanting to be confirmed in our opinions or the course we’ve chosen, whether it’s right or wrong, so we pick “counselors” who will do that for us. The Bible warns us, however, that “Bad company corrupts good character." (1 Corinthians 15:33).
When it comes to matters of a spiritual and moral nature, Christians should not seek counsel from people who don’t know Christ. I have several good friends who are not Christians, but I am acutely aware of the fact that they belong to a different kingdom than I do. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Although this passage is often applied to marriage, the context has a much broader application. You cannot presume that people who are not followers of Christ will lead you in the right way.
Nor can you rely on someone simply because he or she says she is a Christian (see what Paul says about some in the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15:34). Not all who claim to follow Christ really do (see Philippians 3:18, Jude 1:4), and even those who really are followers of Jesus are not always wise (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-2). You should seek out counsel from those whose lives are exemplary, who really live their faith, and have a reputation for wisdom and goodness.
The Book of Proverbs is about wisdom itself, and while it does not provide the answer to every difficult question in life, it does tell you how to approach every difficult question. The book warns repeatedly about being wise in our own eye (3:7, 26:5, 26:12) and tells us to take correction (12:1, 13:18, 15:5) from those who are wise, and who know us best and love us most.
Conclusion
Pain can drive us into sin, a condition of our hearts that says either “God does not know what’s best” or “God does not want what’s best.” We want relief, and the great temptation is to do what is right in our own eyes. Like my heartburn, the pain may not be completely cured in this age. The pain you experience from living in fallen world may continue to trouble you. But drinking from the Fribble fountain, while it may provide the illusion of a temporary relief, will only make things worse.
What you need is water – the living water of Christ, the water of God’s Word, the water of his Holy Spirit. You need the water that springs up inside of you unto eternal life. Even if you’ve been drinking Fribbles, it’s not too late. God still invites you to give up what is harming you and come. He invites you to let Him cure you, for Him to tell you what you really need: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17)
