Years ago I was backpacking in the mountains and having a very difficult time. A strange weakness filled my arms and legs, forcing me to stop. Even going downhill required frequent breaks. I'd lean heavily on my trekking poles and dared not sit down. The effort to stand was just too much. Very slowly I made my way down the trail, eventually reaching my car.

I later described the experience to my doctor. He asked a lot of questions and had my blood tested. The news was startling. "Your blood sugar level is 520." "Is that bad?" "It should be between 90 and 110. At this level you could have a heart attack, stroke, or go into a coma." "OK, I'll take that as bad."

That faithful day I was diagnosed with diabetes. Turns out a previous doctor had misdiagnosed my condition for at least 10 years, although tests indicated a steady climb in my sugar level. Each year I strayed a bit more from the normal range. Now I needed a lot of help to get back to a healthy life.

Diabetes can sneak up on a person, especially Type II. It often starts with a little fudging here and there, and before you know it, your entire life changes. You can no longer do things you once did. Life can become very restricted. And if nothing's ever done, more problems arise -- heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, digestion impairment, severe infections, amputation, etc.

This isn't a commercial for the Diabetes Association or to extol the virtues of healthy living, but to make a comparison. Just as a condition like this can develop, be ignored, and grow far worse until each and every aspect of life is affected, in the same manner a life can experience the deadly influence of sin.

Many today have a difficult time talking about sin. Maybe it's the word. It makes us feel bad, like we've failed or done something terrible. Yet the world says we're all good inside and there are no failures or wrongs, just mistakes. To err is human. Right? Perhaps we need a better understanding of sin.

Sin is anything which is contrary to the will of God. He says, Do this, but we don't, Don't do that, yet we do. It's a deliberate decision to oppose the Creator of the Universe, substituting His will and desire with our own. In a figurative sense, sin is our attempt to seize the throne of God. It is not borne from any "good inside" us. It is a wrong against what is right. Regardless of size, it is a terribly bad failure.

Sin affects us much like diabetes. I know I have this disease and too much sugar is bad for me, but "Hey, it's only one piece of candy." In time, that becomes the norm. "Surely two pieces won't hurt." One bad decision after another leads me down the wrong path. Good health is no longer important, only my desire to get what I crave. That's what would happen if I was not always on guard against...myself.

Autumn in the mountains can be a dangerous time. Beautiful leaves cover the trees and the forest floor. Inexperienced hikers leave the trail to check out something that has caught their eye. But the farther into the forest, the more difficult the way back. Soon they discover the leaves have blended together and the trail has vanished. Desperate and lost, they need help to find the right path.

We all have sinned and will continue to sin, but that's no excuse to embrace it. One who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead. (Proverbs 21:16) Sin takes us away from God and the path He has made. Like a disease, sin unchecked will spread throughout our lives and affect everything we say, think, and do. There's only one path that is right for us, and we need God's help to stay on it. Only then can we follow Him, walk with His Son, and share His Spirit.