How Do you Handle Sin?

2 Peter 1:16-21New International Version (NIV)

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

A flu-like sickness has run rampant at our house this week.  Cheyanne had to stay home 3 days this week with different kids getting sick at different times.  Much to the credit of the kids, they would get sick and then go back to normal.  Rarely did they complain even if their sickness woke them in early hours of the morning.  Cora was especially strong during her time of illness.  It was impressive to watch each of them deal with with this illness in their own, and very different, ways.  Griffin is most like me.... I say that because I do not do well at being sick.  Cheyanne can attest to this.  Guthrie is young enough that he doesn’t understand why his body reacts so violently and I get the impression that he feels like it is somehow his fault even though his mother and I do our best to assure him that it’s not.  And I already mentioned the rockstar that Cora was as she battled the illness even more so since it appears it affected her the longest.  Each them recovered quickly and went right on being the kids they are only to become sick again hours later and the loop would then repeat itself.  These contrasts offered me insights into faith, thank goodness I have kids to help me with that.  

First, I looked at how each one of them was effected and then I looked at how they chose to respond.  If we look at the illness my kids faced and correlate that to the illness of sin that each one of us faces we can see some similarities.  I know there are more than three ways we are affected by sin but my children offered me the three in which I will speak of today.  And that goes without saying that sin may affect us from many different categories.  Let’s start with Griffin.  I mentioned that he didn’t handle the sickness very well which means that he couldn’t really offer his mother and I a straight answer when asked a question.  His illness started during supper.  He is usually a really good eater so we knew something was off when I had to battle him to eat the rest of his supper.  He took a bite, said he didn’t feel well and went into the bathroom but didn’t get sick.  I wondered if he had seen his sister’s behavior and the attention she was receiving and longed for that same attention.  When questioned on what hurt, he said his throat bothered him as he battled back tears.  I was hesitant to believe him for I believed it was the tears he was fighting back causing the lump in his throat and I still think that was the case.  However, we did think something was off but the lack of straight answers didn’t allow us to pinpoint it.  As we marched off to bed, he didn’t offer much of a fight which again points to something being wrong.  We did our best to comfort him and he finally drifted off to sleep.  I don’t remember how long it was for sure but it wasn’t too long and he was hollering at us because he had gotten sick in his bed.  So we pulled off the sheets, something we had become accustomed to doing through Cora’s illness, and cleaned up the mess.  Even in the wee hours of the morning, Cheyanne and I had become like a well oiled machine in mess cleanup.  Griffin felt guilty, even shameful for this mess.  He complained often and was mopey.  When some people sin, they become overwhelmed by this guilt and that causes them to shut down.  They refuse to listen to those that care about them.  They believe that God’s love cannot conquer their sin.  They often think that God has forgotten about them.  They fall into the trap of those whom Peter is writing to by following “cleverly devised stories.”  People who fall into this category often think that God is everything except what He truly is... a merciful and loving God.  While He doesn’t urge us to sin, He still wants us to not forget about Him despite our sin.  These people forget that the new day “dawns and the morning star rises in [their] hearts.”  If you’re one of these people, I want you to know that God does love you.  He knows your struggles and struggles alongside you.  Turn to Him and know in the depths of your heart that God loves you.  He most likely desires for you to persevere through your struggles but loves you nonetheless.

Moving onto the example of Guthrie, illness was a surprise attack.  I would venture to say that Christians who are tormented with sin in this manner are just like Guthrie in the sense that their faith is young.  Sin may attack them and leave them wondering what the heck is going on.  It may surprise them.  It may shake them.  It will most likely upset them.  Their youth may allow them to recover quickly and without much doubting due to a lack of understanding.  However, much like the parents of a young child facing illness, Christians that are a little more seasoned must be by their side quickly helping them to realize what is going on.  But most importantly, the responsibility of the seasoned Christian must be to provide comfort, to hold their hand amid the struggle and let them know that everything will be ok.  The illness that causes the young (and I say young not as in age but in newness to faith) Christian to stumble may be a little bit of a mystery to them at first until they are better able to pinpoint what exactly is making them sick.  Some feelings of guilt and shame may arrive in this example as well but the main perpetrator is fear and the unknown.  Seasoned Christians are best served as a reminder everyone of the “Majestic Glory” that rests within each of us.  We often forget that we are the son [or daughter] whom God loves and is well pleased.      

Finally, we come to the example of Cora.  She was a complete rockstar as she battled her symptoms.  I had a hard time believing she was ill because it barely changed her demeanor and bubbly attitude.  The only issue with her was that she often said she needed to get sick way more often than she actually did.  Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose.  If we compare this to a Christian’s struggle with sin I would say we all know some of these people.  They would be the Christians that seem like they always have it together.  Ones that we often envy.  They never give the appearance that they even struggle.  Life seems great and faith comes easy.  If we are being honest with ourselves, these are the kind of Christians most of us admire because they seem to have it all together.  If you are able to deal with your sin like the person I have given in the example, you know exactly how difficult it is even though you may not let on.  The struggle you have between balancing your sin and the outward appearance you give is a real difficulty for you.  You are afraid of failing and put much unnecessary pressure on yourself because of it.  Hear me when I say that God loves you despite your imperfections.  You do not need to be perfect for God has already made you that way.  This constant reach for perfection actually rears its ugly head and it causes your faith to look more like a shell of its former self because the outward appearance has become more important than the inward conversion.  Cora was also suffering from constipation which the doctor said was the issue, not the flu.  Once we handled that problem, Cora was still getting sick.  I only tell you that slightly disgusting detail to help point out that this striving of outward perfection often hides the real issue behind the illness.  In Cora’s case, one issue masked the other.  Same goes for the Christian that falls into in this category.  The perfect looking outward appearance is only that, an appearance and it often masks other issues.  To these Christians, I urge you to look inward and not worry so much about a perfect outward appearance.  Life and faith are sloppy and it is admirable that some of you are able to get past the messiness of these things.  But you are also well served to embrace that messiness sometimes.  

In closing, we all handle sin differently.  Some are better at portraying their faith than others.  Some handle the issue right away and some push into the depths of who they are causing them to constantly struggle alone.  No matter your struggle, you are never alone.  My hope is that you find God’s love as something to be embraced rather than feared.  People look to you as a light shining in a dark place.  As we approach Lent, I encourage you to be that light.  You don’t have to be perfect to be that light.  You just have be you.  Imperfect, loving and gracious you and God will do the rest. Amen.