Monday, January 4, 2010

Sin: It's just normal, isn't it?

   At a routine physical, I was recently diagnosed with an endocrine condition. Though I felt pretty normal, after I saw a list of symptoms, I had to agree that I had just about all of them: brittle nails; achy joints; dry skin; sensitivity to cold; gritty, twitchy eyes; lethargy.
  My mom had the same condition, so it made sense. I thought the symptoms were just products of normal aging.
   I was willing to live with these conditions because I thought that was just the way it had to be. It was normal.
   Now that I’m on medication, I’m seeing some of the symptoms fade and that means freedom. I can move again. I’m awake and alive, not dragged down by a sluggish metabolism.
   Thinking about sin, I can see it works the same way. We don’t know there is a problem until someone points out how it has affected us: difficult relationships; pride; selfishness; hidden lust; greediness; subclinical bitterness; impatience with others…
   When we are properly diagnosed, we can say, “Yes, I guess sin is really having an impact on my life. I just wasn’t aware of it. I just thought it was normal.”
   The Great Physician undoes the effect of sin. Humility, love, freedom, new life: He energizes our being and we are free and alive in Him.

0 comments: