Never without sin
Sometimes I overthink things, perhaps more than I should. This is especially true when I compare myself to others who seem to have it all together. Their clothes are always neat, and their hair is perfectly styled.
At times like these, I feel inadequate. They look as if they never sin. They never let slip a bad word. Not me! I sometimes don’t have the words to express something big and then a bad word slips out.
I once wrote a story about a “moerse” hole to try and explain the huge hole that was left in my friend’s life when his father died in a car accident. A great clergyman then told me that he thought the gospel was strong enough without me having to use strong language. Point taken.
It’s as if my clutch slips and I do things I don’t want to. It’s like that Cape minstrel song that goes: “My voete loop na Wellington, maar ek gaan Worcester toe.” I want to do one thing, but my body does another.
I always feel bad about the sin that I do so easily. But luckily, I read this verse: 8If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense.
Wow! Thank goodness. We’re all part of the fall. That’s when our default changed and our way of being became conceived and born in sin.
If someone then says they no longer sin, they’re not telling the truth. We’re all born with a sinful nature. We all do things that are not within the will of the Lord. Some more than others.
We don’t have to punish ourselves if we sin. We must stand up, confess our sins, and know Jesus came to earth for this very reason – to bear the punishment in our place.
But it’s not simply a matter of just letting go. We have to do everything we can to make sure we don’t do it again. The fact that we have a sinful nature is no excuse for sinning again and again.
We must despise the sins we commit. If we don’t manage to get rid of them, we must ask others to help us. Have you noticed that it’s easier to lay down the challenges before God than to confess them to a friend?
The road to recovery often begins with confessing our mistakes to a friend or confidant. From there, we can start finding ways to avoid repeating those mistakes.
So, calm down. Your foot will slip along the way, and you will do things that aren’t right. And yes, sometimes you won’t do what you know you should. That’s also a sin. However, don’t use this as an excuse not to put things right.
Try with everything in you to get systems in place to sin less and less. Give more space for the Holy Spirit to control your life and simply show others as well how they should live.
Scripture
1 John 1:5-10
Reflection
What are your sins doing to you?
What do you do with your sins?
Need someone to help you?
Prayer
Father, I am sinful. I no longer want to disappoint You with my way of life. Empower me to increasingly surrender to the guiding of the Holy Spirit. Amen.