Have you ever worried about something happening to you at an inappropriate time? 

Sure, that’s why we take certain precautions to make sure we have done all we can to prevent something unwanted from happening.

I know that when I go up to speak anywhere I always check to see if my fly is done up. Now I wouldn’t say it’s something I worry about, but it crosses my mind and I don’t want to be that guy.

I witnessed that happen in high school once. The teacher was substitute teaching an algebra class. His fly was down and he didn’t know it. 

At one point, he even sat on the corner of a girl’s desk in the front row. That’s when we could hardly stand it any longer. The snickers from the class got pretty audible and the girl in the front started to blush. 

The teacher realized something was wrong, went to the blackboard and started writing. When he turned around, his fly was done up … but there were chalk marks all around the area. 

Well that was it! We lost it! The teacher immediately left the class and we had the rest of our class cancelled. 

You have to protect yourself from those unexpected, unplanned, inappropriate things. 

We are in the fall season right now, but for me it is also nose bleed season. 

I don’t know what it is, whether it is too dry or the veins in my nose can’t hold the barometric pressure, but I get my fair share of nose bleeds at this time of year. 

And they are unexpected. I never know when they are going to come on.

I could be bending over to pick something up, I could gently blow my nose, I could be in the shower with the water pouring down on my head. 

… All of a sudden, boom, I start leaking. 

Several times I’ve feared that I would be preaching on Sunday morning and, right in the middle of a point I was trying to emphasis, my nose would give out. 

… Or when I’m playing hockey and get bumped, it would start.  

But that hasn’t ever happened. 

Believe me, any time you have a nose bleed, it is an inappropriate time. 

Last week I had four nose bleeds in one day – two of the them while I was in bed. Both times it was amazing. I woke up and, as if on cue, it started to bleeding. 

But the worst was on Saturday morning. I play hockey at 7:30 and at about 6:40 my nose started bleeding. I held it for about 15 minutes, which is usually enough for it to stop. But for some reason it didn’t; I had to hold it longer. By the time I got the leak stopped, it was too late to get to hockey. 

Just another inappropriate time for something like that. 

Here’s the thing: Temptation never comes at an appropriate time. It comes when you least expect it. It comes when you are least prepared. But you always have a recourse if you will take it. You can call out to God for help. He will give you the strength to resist the temptation. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What inappropriate thing has happened to you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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