“Why did the economy have to turn him into such a tightwad?” Clarissa whispered to the computer screen. “I work hard for my money. I’ll just put this on the credit card and pay the bill before he sees it. I’ll let him think I bought the purse with my personal cash. It’ll be an early Christmas gift to me from me.”

Then she remembered Brenda, whose husband just lost his job unexpectedly. Brenda regretted using her credit card unwisely—the one her husband repeatedly asked her to use for emergencies only. She tearfully admitted at Bible study that her “emergencies” usually involved clothes and lunches with friends.

Clarissa stared at the pretty red purse that matched her Christmas dress perfectly. “God, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Help me be more frugal and respectful of my husband.”

Then she smiled. She moved the purse from her Shopping Cart to her Wish List and e-mailed it to Jeff—in case he hadn’t bought her Christmas gift yet!

Sins have a way of coming back to bite us. How many times must we be caught in a lie, have our insensitive words get back to the one person who wasn’t supposed to hear them, or live to regret going against our spouse’s wishes before we learn? Let’s not wait until we get ourselves into a mess we can’t clean up—a damaged relationship, broken trust, or major consequence—before we see the importance of making the right choice when we get the chance.