Mr. Tangles Will Untangle Our Tangled Messes
I enjoyed listening to two DJ’s bantering on the contemporary Christian music radio station, K-Love. One of the DJs said he was creating a character to go along with the “Mr. Tangles” store he wants to open. The character would be Mr. Tangles and the store would have a drive-thru window where you’d give them your tangled messes, like a fishing line, necklace or rope. In a few, short minutes, you’d pick up your untangled item. Genius. Okay, he was kidding, but it was an amusing and comical verbal exchange.
Immediately, I had the visual of tangled messes we get ourselves into. Remember the quote, “Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That quote is about how complicated life becomes when people lie and cheat.
Case in point: Do you remember a year ago this month when Full House sitcom star, Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannuli, were charged with a fraud scheme designed to ensure spots for their two daughters at the University of Southern California? They paid $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters admitted into USC as fake rowing-team recruits. Their guilty plea and sentence required Loughlin to pay a $150,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service and her husband to pay a $250,000 fine and complete 250 hours of community service. Loughlin confessed to the judge: “I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process, and in doing so, I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass. The realization weighs heavily on me, and I am taking responsibility. I have great faith in God, and I believe in redemption. And I will do everything in my power to redeem myself and use this experience as a catalyst to do good and give back for the rest of my life. Your Honor, I’m truly, deeply and profoundly sorry, and I’m ready to accept the consequences and make amends.”
Oh, the tangled messes we can get ourselves into – good reputations damaged, a potential prison record, friendships lost, wasted time and finances, and personal feelings of defeat and sorrow — no matter what was said or done in the smallest way or in serious illegal ways. Lying, deceiving, inappropriate conduct, gossiping, stealing, unforgiveness — all those traits that perpetuate dishonesty, misunderstanding, and mistrust.
Though we really want to be people of honor and integrity, we falter and make mistakes — intentionally and unintentionally. But here’s the good news. We can go to our Mr. UN-Tangles, Father God, and let Him help us untangle our messes. Going to God for His forgiveness and for His wisdom on how best to make the wrongs right is surely the way to turn situations around. It’s not easy saying “I was wrong. I’m so sorry.” But I assure you, the minute we admit our mistakes, God will go to work on our behalf.
When I read my scriptures yesterday, it seemed God put an exclamation point on this blog! From Psalm 15, this is how we avoid tangled messes in our lives. “Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; by whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord. Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things shall never be disturbed.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”