On a Scale of 1 to 10 (Psalms 51:3-4)

I recently saw the movie Big Hero 6 with my family. Baymax, the personalized inflatable healthcare robot, accompanies the hero, Hiro, wherever he goes. He is activated whenever Hiro is hurt or troubled and can only be deactivated if Hiro states that he is satisfied with his services.

If Hiro is hurt, Baymax will flash an icon of happy to sad faces with a numerical scale underlying each face. He then asks Hiro, “On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your pain?” In one humorous exchange, a series of objects successively rolls off a shelf, striking Hiro on the head every few seconds, eliciting an “Ow!” from Hiro. Baymax responds with, “On a scale of 1 to 10…”, restarting the phrase, but never finishing it, each time Hiro says, “Ow!”

It is humorous but it makes complete sense. After all, Baymax cannot adequately assist and treat Hiro unless he knows how much pain and discomfort he is in. By following this same sequence, Hiro can allow Baymax to render the proper healing.

When we sin, we sometimes jump to an immediate solution, thinking we first need to make things right with the person for whom we have sinned against. This is very important and needs to be done. But first, we must realize that we have sinned against God and we need to come before Him before anything else.

For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight —
That You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
Psalms 51:3-4

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

Like Baymax, we need to start at the beginning, first acknowledging, then confessing our sins to God. And we must do this every time we sin, not just when it is convenient or when we remember to do it. Once we do this, God will act and direct us to deal directly with the consequences of the sin, whether it means to make things right with another or to deal with an unpleasant situation. But we must first come to God.

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.