Sin?
Do you consider yourself a sinner?
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses. Wash me through and through from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. And so you are justified when you speak and upright in your judgment. Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, a sinner from my mother's womb. For behold, you look for truth deep within me, and will make me understand wisdom secretly. Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed. Make me hear of joy and gladness, that the body you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. - Psalm 51:1–10
We hear it said that we are all sinners, but do we think in terms of sin?
Chances are, when someone mentions sin, we think of the ten commandments, and even if we don't remind ourselves of each one, we may brush them off. Done that. No problem, I am sure I keep them all.
But is that really the case?
Jesus said that all the commandments can be summed up in two, to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, and to love each other as we love ourselves.
That is a little harder to calibrate. Was I being loving with that person I just yelled at? Did I show love to the homeless man I passed?
The obvious stuff should be easy to spot, like when someone pushes an old lady into a train or slashes someone in the street. Yet these are things we attribute to crazy people, so we may not consider them sins, or the people who do them bad.
We may see a posted video and immediately draw a judgment about what we are seeing. That is falling victim to persuasion, and that could be sinful.
Everything we post or share we do to persuade, to influence someone's opinion, judgment, or mood.
"Check this out," we say, wanting to bring joy. "Can you believe that?" we ask, wanting to foment anger or suspicion.
We all do it, and yet we probably would not consider it a bad thing.
What makes it sinful is when we persuade to mislead or condemn. That is when we choose to harm someone rather than love them.
Jesus warned us that the tongue is a source of evil, and that is something I think I need to remind myself of every day.
During this period of Lent, I will try to think before I speak, text, post, communicate.
People may wonder if I am feeling OK if they suddenly find that I am silent, and they may think my silence is a form of persuasion.
But it is worth taking a pause from time to time.
So, consider this reflection a pause, just a ramble of thoughts focused on sin.
No hidden agenda here.
Or maybe there is. Do love today.
More to come...