Hi all,
I found a comment of Mikeys on the Easter thread interesting and so thought I would start a new topic on it...
He said " I find it helpful to consider what Jesus says he wants to take from me, alleviate the burden of. To reflect on the specificity of "sins" I choose %^&**, ()&*^%$, 0987*&(^ (yes, only three!) makes it somehow more real and keeps me to some degree vulnerable with God. Within that I sometimes feel understood and known, sometmes loved and accepted, sometimes nothing. At Easter I'm reminded that God is vulnerable, comes close and is interested. "
Mikey - Are you saying you actually have kind of specific, long term kind of 'sins' that you have identified? I find this idea intriguing! Can you expand on it anymore? I suppose I haven't thought of sin like that for quite awhile, I think I tend to think of it as my general unholiness....or smaller specific instances where I know I have gone against the will of God.
How do others view sin?
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Are people at peace with 'where they are at' spiritually?
The new year of 2010
It's crazy how fast time goes and you don't end up doing half the things you think you want too!!
Nevertheless, have put up a new question - I'm keen for some thoughts, feeling quite stale in the spiritual pondering lately. Have just been cruising and enjoying life ( which is also good - don't get me wrong!)
Hope you have started the year well everyone!
Amy
Nevertheless, have put up a new question - I'm keen for some thoughts, feeling quite stale in the spiritual pondering lately. Have just been cruising and enjoying life ( which is also good - don't get me wrong!)
Hope you have started the year well everyone!
Amy
Welcome to 'Things we ponder...'
Welcome everyone to this little blog we have going!
It really is a communal blog more than anything - a place to explore ideas that people having been mulling over and get some more opinions on things!
We really want it to be a place that people feel they can contribute as much as they want from a simple comment on a post or writing up an original post that will start off some discussion.
Feel free to invite others that you feel may benefit or want to be part of this kind of thing.
And please please please... just write something so we know you're there reading and thinking! :-)
It's a work in progress so chuck any ideas out there, if you have some that you think might help make this thing fly!
Amy
It really is a communal blog more than anything - a place to explore ideas that people having been mulling over and get some more opinions on things!
We really want it to be a place that people feel they can contribute as much as they want from a simple comment on a post or writing up an original post that will start off some discussion.
Feel free to invite others that you feel may benefit or want to be part of this kind of thing.
And please please please... just write something so we know you're there reading and thinking! :-)
It's a work in progress so chuck any ideas out there, if you have some that you think might help make this thing fly!
Amy
Posts
3 comments:
It sounds wholly unholy having to admit this but my sinful ways seldom enter into my consciousness these days. However, when I do reflect on my life it is all too easy for me to site my less than godly ways. It makes me think that perhaps I am missing an opportunity to reflect and improve on my journey by not having a practice of faith to follow like catholic and eastern orthodox Christians. I don’t think these reflections should lead to self- flagellation (neither with whips, guilt or acts of “service”), but acknowledging my failures and working towards ways of “reflecting a fantastic humanity” can’t be a bad thing.
Along the lines of what Amy said about reflecting on specific sins; for me the sins I reflect on most have changed over the different stages of my life. I am sure this is a natural process when your 10yrs saying “Shit” or lying to Mum is a pretty big deal, then hormones hit and the whole no sex before marriage thing becomes a real bitch. For me now the areas of my life I reflect on most transmit to how I relate to Christina, my kids, my employer, my friends and wider family and also other social sins like how I relate to the earth and creation as a whole, social justice issues etc. This is not to say my other sins are mastered, in fact Esme dispelled that myth when she clearly pronounced SHIT from quite a young age, every time I hit the brakes hard in the car ( I am sure there is a joke in there about the sins of the father…). But my focus has shifted to other areas, not 100% if that is entirely a good thing, just an observation.
Thanks for this post it has really made me think, I am going to research some practices of reflection further…
Interesting thing 'Sin'. I guess I mostly consider the point that you made Amy, about just thinking more of your general sinful ways, in my head I think of this as my being selfish etc.
Hmm - not making much sense. Really though - what I wonder about most is who made up what sin is in our modern day, western cutlure. We seem to have jumped on a couple that we consider to be bad - No sex before marriage, say - and gone to town with them. Paul (bible) says that he is thankful for the law for it shows us what sin is but we are now free from the law. If we are going to hold on religously to some rules then why are we not all living like orthodox Jews?
I think what Jarod said about thinking about the way that you interact with others is pretty important - Jesus did say "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbour as your self". If you are being really honest with yourself in thinking about your behaviour, in light of Jesus' words, then will you automatically know what sin is and isn't?
I apologise for my bad writing - it is early in the morning! Hope it makes some sense to you.
Hey Liz, thanks for your thoughts I think what struck me most was the importance of taking the time to be honest with ourselves and reflecting on Jesus words. I personally don’t find that very easy especially as an individual, I find it hard to know if my morality stacks up with a god like one and how to find the balance of what I can/should work on to correct.
I agree that it strikes me as odd that the sins that the modern western church focuses on are mostly individual sins like sexual immortality, dishonesty etc. I do think that there is real wisdom in following these biblical guidelines like “no sex before marriage” but this focus on my 'individual sins' has led to me try and deal with my sin as an individual. I am now not so sure that, that is the ideal. I say “enough is enough” let the Church be leaders in highlighting social sins like discrimination, oppression of people and nations, world food shortages/glut, unfair trade etc. And let the church encourage frameworks where people can deal with their 'individual sins' in a supportive/safe environment.
Post a Comment