Sin shuts down our hearts. It is the by-product of isolation and self-protection. It is the master of broken relationships. It is a simple turning away from God which turns into a complex and warped sense of reality, which God never intended for us to live. Sin is something that causes us and others deep pain and horrible scars that affect the entire storyline of our lives.
Yet, like the apostle Paul, I must admit that there is this great inertia or part of me that wants to continue to sin. I find myself falling into the old sin patterns and I begin to ask myself, “Why do I continue to do these things and why don’t I want to resolve these sin patterns?”
In all reality, the effects of sin are so devastating that in our heart of hearts, we desperately want to be rid of this negative side—this old nature. The problem is we face a part of us that includes incorrect motivations to resolve sin in the first place. Some of these are: looking good in front of others, getting what I want from God, getting what I want from my husband or wife or children, a desire to avoid shame or embarrassment, proving myself to me or God or others, avoiding the negative so I don’t have to feel bad any longer, and appeasing God to keep Him off my back.
Recently, it has occurred to me that as I’ve trusted God and we’ve begun working on my sin together, that I’ve found myself affirming others more often in my conversations. I’ve begun to see the image of God reflected in them or even seen Christ in them, and I’ve begun to tell them that I see Him inside of them or that they reflect the image of God. I’ve been able to see the risks in relationships that friends are taking, the leadership that they’ve demonstrated with their spouses or children, or pointed out the compassion I see that they have for others. It’s as if by my trusting God to work on my sin that I now see Him more clearly in the lives of those around me. The process of resolving sin slowly takes away this dullness which clouds my ability to see the good in others and affirm them with complements that I believe are truly from God Himself.
Bottom line: I want to come into the light, take off my masks of control and self-protection, receive love, stop trying to manage my sin, allow others to help me with my sin and weaknesses, forgive and be forgiven, and allow God to work alongside of me in the process of resolving sin because it transforms me into a man who can give, serve, love, protect, affirm, and tell others who they really are. For me, this has been so much fun and I’ve been able to have little spurts of joy when these things happen.
Before, I was so wrapped up in my own self-based motives for resolving sin that I could never see that the process of resolving my sin is primarily so that I can enter the lives of others and infect them with the kind of “Good Infection” that C.S. Lewis talks about. Christ in me stirs up Christ in those around me. He reaches out to those who are lost. He does acts of service, words of encouragement, hugs those who need to be hugged, and spends time quality time with others.
I myself oscillate between these two motives—self-based and others based. His dreams for me are that I would believe who He says I am already in-Christ and that I would see that the end-goal is for me to rub that belief off onto others. Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Resolving sin in the here-and-now is motivated by my desire to see God in others and in my circumstances, whereby I see His glory. Without resolving sin, I have no ability to rub off His nature onto those around me in any way that might be called effective, because I have a hard time seeing Him inside of or reflected off of them in the first place.
One thing I want to be very clear about is that I haven't come very far yet. I still have lots of sin issues that need healing. The time line isn't what matters to God. What matters is that I've begun to get into the process of trusting God with my sin and that has allowed me to see Him in those around me. In conclusion, my joy to tell others who they really are (through word and deed) is one major reason I ask God to take me through the process of resolving my sin in the here-and-now. It is like taking off blinders that allows me more and more to see the reality of God in His true light.
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