There have been times throughout my Christian journey when I have seemed to be unaware of my own sin. To be sure, I was very much aware of the sins of others, but paid little attention to my own. Have you ever experienced this? Sure you have. Sadly, but understandably, this shared human reality is often the foundation of a vast majority of sermons. Just show up to a random evangelical independent church on any given Sunday morning and odds are you will listen as the pastor tries to convince you of your sin, tries to get you to see your sin. And don’t get me wrong. Seeing our sin is a vital part of our Christian walk. We need to come face to face with our fallenness, our humanity, our guilt. But there is something else equally as important, but more often ignored. There is a flip side to the coin, if you will. Henri Nouwen talks about this in today’s reading:
Reading: (“When Guilt Becomes an Idol”)
“There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord.”
Prayer:
Dear God: Forgive me for those times when I have made guilt my idol. Will you help me, today, to make you and you alone the object of my gaze? Allow my eyes the grace to look through my sin to where you are, as a child looks through a bedroom window upon the lively world beyond the pane of glass. Amen.
~Matt Lybarger
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