Here I am... just wondering out loud again.
In my wonderings though... I'm wondering what the world, the Christian world would be like, if we Christians stopped being sympathetic to each other.
We tend to be a little hard on the world, but entirely sympathetic with each other. Abortion, horrific, homosexuality - perverted, democrats.. just kidding. :)
You get my point though. We take the sins of the world and we make them into these big awful things that you don't want to have touch you, and would never taint your family.
Yet, our churches are full of sin. We gossip, we backbite, we're lazy, we're not good stewards of our money, we're poor employees, we're angry drivers, and we can be easily offended.
And those are the small sins. SMALL ones. Forget the crazy huge things (or at least as we size things, not God) like Jesus saying that if you even think about adultery, you're an adulterer. We don't want to talk about that do we.
But what if we did? What if we got fed up with ourselves (I say that because I'm fed up with me right now) and we said "You know what, SIN is SIN." God doesn't see a size, and I can't allow myself to either. SIN, is in my life, and God help me I want it out.
And we'd say it, we'd scream it, we'd cry it because every little ounce of sin stands between us having the absolutely perfect relationship with God. It holds us back from growth. Grow, grow, grow. Where you at is awesome, now GROW. And even if you're not growing, fertilize, water, whatever it takes to nourish the growth you want to achieve. And I wish the written word could convey the sudden tenderness in my heart as I say it's the growth that God wants you to achieve as well.
Gods will is always exciting and scary. It takes faith. And also a good understanding that God has forgiven you. Every day.
Ok... now when are we, and those around us, going to call our fear to be sin? When are we going to call hanging onto foolish pasts sinful? There are some things that I struggle with - and I get that. There are things that we'll struggle with. But I also know in my own life, that there are some lies, some fears, some doubts, that inside I know are not true but I allow myself to live them out.
I think I'm not good enough so I don't try.
I think I'm not the right person to speak so I don't speak.
I think I'm not wanted so I go away. (And for the record, I'm not talking about my church in this aspect... just wanted to make sure that's clear. My church loves me. I love them. 'Nuff said.)
But too often I think I'm too this, not enough that, worse than so-n-so, not spiritual enough, not whatever
What if our Christian brothers and sisters looked at us when we said those things and said "You know, that isn't true, it's a lie from the devil and acting on it rather than Gods promise to you and His declaration of who you are is a sin."
What if?
3 comments:
Good chance I'm completely missing the point here, so if I am just ignore me. But you seem to be saying what if we saw all our sin from the same perspective God does, all the same size. My question is, would all our little sins seem as large as murder or would murder seem as small as gossipping? I mean, we don't yell at our children for hitting other kids the same way we yell at them for spilling the kool-aid (unless we're having a bad day :) ) In reality we see these slip ups and mess ups as part of growing up and generally try not to make too big a deal out of unintentional harm. Yeah, we mess up, a LOT, but God knows we're like 3 yr olds trying to find our way in this world. Sure we should be growing up some, but compared to Him, we're only likely to ever mature to angry teenagers. Maybe it sounds like I'm excusing disobedience, and I don't mean to be, but I just don't see God being all edge of His throne upset just because we lost our temper again. I think he laughs. A LOT!
No... I wouldn't say beat myself up as though it were the same size. But my point is to actually call it sin.
We tend to call our issues just bad habits, or just our character trait to not be able to love certain types of people.
Bad habit, character traits, just a part of who I am... those all can be simple excuses to allow sin in my life. And Christian friends easily allow me to do that. Off the top of my head, I can't think of one time that someone has ever said to me "Hey.. um... I hope we can still be friends but I'm afraid that bad habit of yours is actually a sin."
For personal opinion, just based on what I've seen in the scripture - the ranking of sins has to do with the earthly consequences than the heavenly consequences. The wages of sin is death.
As a Christian I'm saved from that consequence - but...
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
I just think it'd be nice if Christians said to each other "Hey, you're looking a little Old Mannish right now"
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Sometimes we just too stinking busy being free, to remember we're suppose to be servants.
See, I told you I was missing the point completely. Your point actually seems to be that it would be nice if us christians were honest enough (and brave enough!) to actually let us know when we're doing wrong. And to that I agree. You first. But it needs to be done with wisdom and in love (did I just say that? seriously that sounds like the soft psycho-babble I hate). But really, most christians who DO act honestly usually also throw in glee. On the other hand, you didn't point out to Bella (referencing your other post) that she was carrying things all wrong in the store, you simply took pleasure in her effort and eventual success. So at times what is needed is not someone to come tell us we're doing it all wrong, we can see that we keep dropping the bologna every time we pick up the can we just dropped, but someone who rejoices in our success. The problem is that to rejoice in the success implies that we noticed the failures and we're all busy trying to pretend that we're all just fine. I think the early church had that kind of honesty. "Confess your faults one to another." Like I said though, you first!
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