You know, I do a lot of thinking.
I doubt that is much of a surprise to most of you, because anyone that has had a fifteen minute conversation with me probably knows that already. In fact, I think to the point of overanalyzing...but, though that is a fault I hope to overcome, I also know that God can use even our imperfections to our advantage.
Recently I was thinking about sin. This has always been a hard area for me, because I have a very sensitive conscience--really, too sensitive for my own good...especially when paired with an analytical mind. But, in any case, I was thinking of the whole concept of staying out of situations causing you to sin...and, no surprise, I grabbed the worst possible conclusion. I began to fear that, if I was tempted to sin (especially if I succumbed) around a person--no matter how good they were themselves--I should, logically, avoid that situation and thus, in essence, cut off the friendship.
Now, don't worry, I have never done that and I really think it would be hard to convince me to do such a thing, but nevertheless I was struggling with it in my own mind and it was causing me a lot of grief. Well, to help myself process it, I started doing some research online as to what levelheaded Christians were saying on the subject. I came across this one article, and suddenly it clicked for me.
I had been thinking in terms of avoiding the thing causing me to sin (as you would if you had a drinking problem or were hanging with the wrong crowd). I was having trouble understanding why, logically, my conclusion would be wrong...it was really making me a good deal more than just uneasy. And then it hit me: the problem is not the situation--if it isn't a clearly unhealthy one--it is me. I will struggle with certain sins because they are within me, no matter who I meet in life or what situations I am in. It is foolish to hem myself in in hope of avoiding that--because I am "staying home, safe in my room"...hiding from my own sin. That is not what God intended for us. Of course, if you have been smoking pot or drinking or having sex, you obviously need to get away from the crowd that is leading you to sin. It's a matter of prudence, and it's reasonable. Sometimes it might be hard, but nevertheless it is clear that, as a Christian, we are called to stay away from unhealthy situations that are tempting us to sin. But when it comes to sins that are just us, it is foolish--even wrong--to simply hide from them. We are here to grow, to learn to deal with the ugly part of us, the part that follows us everywhere we go, and not to do so by trying vainly to flee it would be running from God's plan to change us into His image.
So I thought this was a thought worth writing down, because, who knows...maybe someone else has been wondering about this as well. I think one of the best things we can do as Christians is to come to terms with the fact that...well, we have this sinfulness that follows us around everywhere we go. We are sinners, and we can't escape it. That little monster will pop out of us, because it's in us. When we have accepted that fact, we are freed. We know that no matter what we do that monster will be right there with us, and that it's futile to think we can really hide from him. What we can do is get ready to let Jesus fight him, because he can whip the filthy thing better than we ever could. And, bingo! We are suddenly free to stop our losing struggle and let the expert step in to help us.
And we can know that, as children of God walking in the light, we are not condemned. Isn't it wonderful to have such a patient and loving God?
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