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Verse:Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. —Psalm 19:12
At first, I thought it was a swan.
Moments later, I wished it had been.
As I arrived at work late one afternoon, I noticed the picture on the front page of the evening newspaper being read by the receptionist.
At first glance, I thought it might have been a photograph of a swan at a nearby lake. Having worked overnight, I was unaware of that day’s major international news story. I was soon to discover that the photo in the newspaper was a picture of the space shuttle Challenger disintegrating just seventy-three seconds after takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center. On January 28, 1986, seven astronauts were heading into space on what was to be the Challenger’s tenth mission.
Among them was Christa McAuliffe, a thirty-seven-year-old social studies teacher at Concord High School in New Hampshire.
Her participation in the mission meant schoolchildren from all over the country were watching coverage of the launch.
McAuliffe’s parents were at the Kennedy Space Center to witness the historic launch. It was later discovered that the Challenger broke up shortly after liftoff because of faulty O-ring seals on the solid-rocket boosters.
Due to unusually cold temperatures at Cape Canaveral, the O-rings weren’t able to function correctly. They had been designed to work in warmer weather. A vehicle weighing four and a half million pounds was undone by O-rings weighing a few ounces.* The Challenger had a fatal flaw, not unlike many people who possess a spiritual Achilles’ heel. Judas was a thief. Solomon, David, and Samson succumbed to lust. Achan, Ananias and Sapphira, and the rich young ruler were covetous, while it was pride that caused the fall of Lucifer and led the world to be trapped in sin.
In each case, one sin grew until it consumed an entire life. Solomon wrote that “the little foxes … spoil the vines” (Song of Solomon 2:15).
A cherished secret sin will ultimately do great damage if it is not surrendered to God. Far better to yield “little” sins to God than to see a human weakness become a fatal flaw.