Mr. Tangles Will Untangle Your Tangled Messes

Mr. Tangles Will Untangle Your Tangled Messes
I enjoyed listening to two DJ’s bantering on the radio as I drove home from Dallas yesterday. 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 phone cord, a fishing line, a tangled necklace, or a tangled rope. In a short few 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 our lives into. Remember the quote, “Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”. That quote refers to how complicated life becomes when people start lying. It originally referred to a love triangle in the play “Marmion” by Sir Walter Scott.

Lying, deceiving, inappropriate conduct, gossiping, stealing, unforgiveness — all those traits that perpetuate dishonesty, misunderstandings and mistrust.

A couple of days ago I heard that some of the American Olympic swimmers had been held at gunpoint and had their money and Olympic passes stolen. Yesterday, the story was very different. It was revealed that the swimmers had fabricated their account of the episode. Now that “tangled web” is all over the news and has spiraled into a nasty legal case testing the relations between Brazil and the U.S. The police said that they believed that the swimmers had “stained” Rio by lying about what happened. What a shame!

Oh, the tangled messes we can get ourselves into — no matter what we said or did in the smallest way or in serious illegal ways.

Oh that we become people of honor and integrity, but the truth of the matter, when we falter, make mistakes, intentionally and unintentionally, we can continue to weave that web, or we can go to God, our Mr. UNTANGLES 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.

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.”

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”