“We need a plunger,” announced my handyman-husband after tinkering with the kitchen sink. “It’s not draining well.” I don’t know about you, but I so admire a man—especially when it’s my man—who can take care of a need without having to call on an expert, say for instance, a plumber. Off to Walmart I went, thrilled that instead of a few hundred dollars, this project would cost us only $12.95. Oh, happy day!

I was in the basement (where we are living until the upper floor is remodeled) when I heard the all-too-familiar “Uh-oh,” an unconcerning sound when it comes from the “expert”; it’s another when it comes from Handy Dandy Dave. Apparently, the suction somehow caused all the water to fill up the dishwasher which then overflowed onto the floor.

Later that day, after cleaning up the mess, we were in the basement. On the back of the patio, padded chair we are using as furniture, there was a large water spot. I asked Hubby about it. He said that it probably came from his wet head following his shower yesterday. Patio furniture is meant to be wet. Water stains would not stay on it for 24 hours.

Then I looked at the ceiling. Apparently Dave had showered, climbed on the patio chair and rested his wet head on five of the ceiling tiles because they, too, had huge water spots on them, or—another thought—the water from the kitchen floor had seeped through to the basement. We all know which of the two options is the correct one.

A plumber was called, and let’s just say that our handyman project ended up costing us a lot more than $12.95. But isn’t that the way life works sometimes? We try to tackle some small issue and before we know it, things get out of hand.

The Biblical story of David and Bathsheba comes to mind. David remained behind in Jerusalem while his men went to war. From the roof of his palace, he looked at Bathsheba, the beautiful wife of Uriah, bathing on her roof. Despite knowing she was married, David summoned her and committed adultery with her, resulting in her pregnancy. To hide the affair, David recalled Uriah from battle, hoping he would go home and sleep with Bathsheba, thus making the child appear his. However, Uriah, showing loyalty and integrity, refused to enjoy the comforts of home while his fellow soldiers were in danger, and he stayed with the other soldiers.

When this plan failed, David ordered Joab, the captain of his army, to place Uriah in a dangerous position on the front lines and withdraw support, ensuring Uriah was killed in battle. After mourning Uriah, Bathsheba married David and bore him a son. The Lord, displeased with David’s actions, sent the prophet Nathan to assure him that God had taken away his sin, but the child born of the sin would die. The child did die a week later, fulfilling the judgment.

Sin and plungers have a lot in common. What starts out no-big-deal in the hands of the wrong person can lead to much more serious problems. One drink, one lie, one peek can end up with disastrous consequences. Hubby and I ended up with a few water stains. Sinners are usually not so lucky.