Articles
A Lesson From Sir Winston
Sir Winston Churchill is one of the best-known names in history and one of my favorite characters. He had a remarkable facility for sharp and witty retorts when under pressure. He had his failings, of course, one of which was to sometimes over-imbibe "adult beverages." On one occasion he arrived at a large party hosted by a leading London socialite. This was one of those times when he had over-indulged. His embarrassed hostess confronted him angrily saying, "Sir Winston, you are drunk! You are very drunk! You are very, very drunk!" Churchill looked blearily over his ever-present cigar and replied, "Madam, you are ugly! You are very ugly! You are very, very ugly! Furthermore, tomorrow I shall no longer be drunk - but you, Madam, will still be ugly!"
In this humorous account, I see a serious lesson. Christians are often confronted by non-Christians with accusations of sin, inconsistency and hypocrisy in our lives. The sad truth is that they are probably correct in most of their accusations. We are worthy of their reproach and rebuke when we do not practice what we preach and believe to be true. However, without excusing our behavior or resorting to the insulting sarcasm of a drunken diplomat, we need to remember that if we are striving to walk in the light (1 John 1:7-9) the blood of Christ will cleanse us of our sins. But the ugliness of guilt will remain with the one who refuses to obey the Lord. 'Sin is ugly. Sin is very ugly. Sin is very, very ugly. But the Christian is forgiven though the blood of Jesus, while the rebellious sinner remains lost!
