A Little Sin Grows like Yeast in Dough

We have a tradition in our house that Friday night is pizza night. My toddler and I make the crust from scratch each Friday afternoon after he wakes from his nap. He giggles with delight as my hands get “messy, messy, messy!” kneading the dough.

But before it is time to knead, even before I add any flour to the mixture, we begin with yeast.

The tiny grains of yeast, when combined with warm water and a little sugar, immediately begin to grow. The yeast completely changes the character of my dough.

“Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6)

Saint Paul draws us a wonderful analogy: Just as yeast leavens dough, so too does sin expand in our own souls. Sin often begins small, like a dry grain of yeast; yet before we know it, it has grown into something bigger. Sin spreads and rises in us, puffing up our souls into someone other than who God created us to be. We are no longer pure.

I have seen it happen in my own life. Comparison quickly swells into jealousy. Mindless scrolling on social media can spiral out of control into sloth. Gossip breeds unfair judgment. Unkind thoughts about another person give rise to hatred. Thinking our little sins are not a big deal? That’s pride. And how quickly this sin affects not only our own souls, but our communities and our families, too.

But the Good News is this, sisters: We have the opportunity for restoration. Christ desires to restore us from sin, just as He restored the man with the withered hand in today’s Gospel. (Luke 6:6-11) So let us be encouraged to “clear out the old yeast.” (1 Corinthians 5:7) Spend some time in prayer with our loving and merciful Father. Ask Him to gently reveal to you what yeast is breeding in your soul. Then bring it to Him, humbly confess it, and allow Him to heal you.

Spend some time in prayer with our loving and merciful Father. Ask Him to gently reveal to you what yeast is breeding in your soul.Click to tweet

Today is Monday. As we begin this new week in this autumn season, pray about starting a new routine of going to Confession regularly. Ask a friend to be your accountability partner. Not sure who to ask? Find a sister-in-Christ in one of our regional Facebook groups.

Elise Howe is a devoted wife, momma, vocal artist and teacher. She currently resides in New York City, though she will always be a Midwestern gal at heart. Elise has a heart for ministry, dark chocolate (but not too dark) and coffee with a generous amount of cream + sugar. Find out more about her here.