Sinning isn't that bad, is it?

I say this with all the love and compassion I can since I, myself, am still trying to fully awake from my sinful nature: yes, sinning is really that bad. Imagine looking in the mirror and not seeing who you truly are. "So God created man in His Own image; in the image of God, He created him." - Genesis 1:27 Each time we sin, we become less and less like God intended us to be. Sin is contrary to God, so any time we sin, we distort this intended reflection. 

Think about when you see or hear about a youth getting into serious trouble - doesn't it reflect badly on the parents? Some may say no since the child makes their own choices. Some might say yes because it's up to the parents to raise their children correctly. Either way, God is Pure, Holy and the Author of all life and we are to reflect Him who dwells in us. "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:48  

Some might say they have no responsibility to address their sin since Jesus came and died for our sins. Consider a young child in a store with their parent for example. The child begins a tantrum, causing others to look and listen. After the worst of it, the child realizes people are staring while the parent starts to seem too far away. They stop the tantrum, run up to their parent and apologize. The parent looks lovingly at their child, holds them close and says it's okay. The apology and the mercy repair the bond between parent and child but the effects of the event remain - so it is with our sin. God accepted Jesus' apology on behalf of us. But we can't take the action of our sins back. Have you ever had to wash stubborn stains? Sometimes with several washes and lots of physical labor, they come out. Sometimes even with all that, blemishes remain. And so it is with us. The stain of sin remains and it becomes harder for us to see God, truth and what's right and wrong. We think we know and we think we see clearly - but in actuality there's a distortion. We end up tricking ourselves into thinking what we are doing is good when it isn't. 

So what do we do? We defer to God's Law, not our own. We build virtue, breaking bad habits. And we love - love our neighbors, love our God and treat ourselves like the temple of God's we really are. He WILL help you if you ask.   

May God Bless you and may God Bless your week!