Your Garbage Stinks

Why is it that my own garbage doesn’t stink much, but yours smells so bad it will kill a rhino?  I mean, the things you do are so obviously bad, sad, and unacceptable.  However, the worst things I do, well, they may not be great, but if you understood them like I do, you’d know that it is okay for me to be and act that way…

We humans can delude ourselves in many ways, but this is often the worst.  What happens in our own minds feels comfortable to us, and really isn’t so bad.  However, when we see other people doing the same or similar things, we can’t believe that they would be such jerks and idiots.  I believe that this is where the core of hypocrisy comes from.

Don’t believe that this could be a problem for you?  Let’s look at it a little.

What are your deepest darkest sins?  Attitudes towards others, little lies you tell people, lust, jealousy, things you do that your friends and family don’t know about, lots more.  I know that there are lots more, because years of pastoring have made clear to me what the Bible tells us.  We all struggle with a significant variety of “sins.”

Now, imagine sharing with your friends and family the very core things and attitudes you struggle with the most.  And I mean in graphic detail.  Not only your actions, but your very thoughts while doing whatever it is you would like to keep hidden.  Why does that make us squirm?  Because when we really consider speaking what goes on inside, the truth about our sin becomes clear to us.  What doesn’t feel that bad when they are going on inside us becomes great shame if I have to share it with others.  We have no trouble seeing the problem with these things in others, because we see them from the outside.

The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another, and pray for one another. (James 5:16)  I believe one of the reasons for this command is that it keeps us all clear on the significance of our own sins.  Another strange twist to this is that, often, young believers are more free to share their sinfulness than those who are “more mature.”  Over time, it seems like we build up a sense of reputation that we don’t want to be damaged by sharing our real and genuine struggles.  Christians become good at managing what they share with others.  The unfortunate consequences of this are often a hardened heart, self righteousness, and often people who appear to be mature Christians who “fall hard.” 

The moral of the story:  Develop relationships with some believers who you can and do freely confess your sins to, and pray for.  Share what is most uncomfortable to share.  Get it out in the open.  It is also vital to learn to trust God with your reputation, and have a general attitude of openness about your life.  It will help you significantly to keep walking in the Light.