Read Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. While some have interpreted this second creation story as evidence that women are both inferior to men and the reason for the downfall of humanity, that’s really not what it’s about. This story is about broken relationship. The serpent sparks doubt about the importance of listening to God and we can almost imagine Eve beginning to reason with herself, “Really, what harm could it do?” Adam is there and he eats too. In that moment, they are suddenly aware of their nakedness and feel the weight of shame for having disobeyed. If you go a bit further in the reading, neither of them want to take accountability. Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent.
To what degree does the pattern of your own sin follow this one: temptation, reasoning with yourself, denying accountability or trying to justify your choice, and then suffering the consequence of your actions? What are some tools that help you disrupt that pattern at the outset? How might taking accountability for your mistakes affect the resulting consequences?
Today, think of a time when you committed a sin. It doesn’t need to be a “big” one. It might have been something as seemingly insignificant as saying a harsh word to your spouse or to the tech support person on the phone. Take that sin through the pattern as described above. What was the temptation? Did you reason it out or did you commit it without thought? Did you take accountability? What was the consequence? Now offer a simple prayer of confession to God, offering no excuses. Find assurance that because of God’s steadfast love, you are forgiven.
Read Psalm 32. In vs. 3-4, we read, “While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” Trying to hide our sin from God, from others, and from ourselves can be debilitating. It eats us from the inside out. The weight of guilt (I did something bad) can lead to shame (I am bad). But then in vs. 5, the psalmist says, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you [God] forgave my sin.” Confession can be a powerful spiritual practice. When we share our guilt with God or with someone else, we no longer have to carry it on our own.
The scriptures promise that when we confess, God will always turn towards us in love and forgiveness, helping us to see a better way for our lives moving forward. That may not always be the case with people. In fact, people may turn away from us when we are honest about who we are or what we’ve done. But even if that happens, bringing something out into the open has the effect of shining a little bit of light in the darkness.
Today, think of something for which you feel guilty. The same rules apply as for yesterday. It can be something big or small. Consider sharing it with a trusted friend or family member. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of having this person in your life.
Read Romans 5:12-19. In this passage, Paul speaks of the spread of sin from an original, single source: Adam. It’s true that sin in one area of our life has the potential to infect other aspects. If we’re feeling guilty about something, we may feel bad about ourselves and behave badly towards someone else. We may try to numb those feelings with alcohol or food or social media or television or shopping. We may not focus as we should on our work. We may isolate ourselves and fail to show up for people in the way they need us to.
The good news in this passage is that grace, forgiveness, and goodness, traced back to Jesus, has a tremendous capacity to spread as well. When we are in right relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves, it can infect every aspect of our lives. It can lead to deeper, more meaningful connection with God and others.
Today, commit an intentional act of kindness. Pay attention to the impact it has on your recipient and on how you approach the rest of your day. In prayer, ask for eyes to look for and see opportunities to spread a little grace.
Read Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus had been fasting in the wilderness for forty days. He would have been hungry, tired, weak, and lonely. We’re told of the three temptations, but there’s a hidden fourth. Notice how the tempter begins the first two: “If you are the Son of God…” There’s not only the temptation to satisfy his physical hunger, to use the scriptures in self-serving ways, or to sacrifice his values for the admiration of others, but there is also the temptation to question his identity as the Son of God. In many ways, the temptations we face deal with identity.
As a follower of Jesus, what kind of person are you called to be? What kinds of things are you called to do and what are you called to avoid? The next time you are faced with some type of temptation, ask yourself, “As a child of God, should I think this way…speak this way…indulge in this…?”
In prayer, ask God for the desire to engage only in that which is life-giving and for the strength to resist that which is not.