Ephesians 5:30 “Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.” (The Message)
There are a lot of reasons not to sin. It creates all kinds of messes. It hurts people. But, there are no reasons quite as moving as this one. Sin disrupts the most intimate part of your life.
The Holy Spirit is with us always—shaping us, comforting us, teaching us. When we sin, we are taking Him for granted. We are disrupting that relationship. We are disrupting such an intimate connection that it is actually impossible for it not to affect us negatively, even if we don’t realize it. It is like a poison that permeates its way through our lives. After all, the wages of sin is death.
But, Jesus. Jesus died to make us free. He paid the penalty for our sins! He made the way for His Holy Spirit to become an intimate part of us! What a tragedy when we continue to labor under the delusion that either:
a) sin is not a big deal or,
b) it is too hard/scary/uncomfortable/fill-in-the-blank to confess our sin, make it right, & be free.
Jesus didn’t die to bring us freedom someday. He died to bring it to us now. So, this self-care tip is both incredibly hard & the most easy thing you will ever do: Make things right.
Stop carrying sin around! It might take great courage to do this. However, the simple truth is that Jesus is the one who did the actual hard part. Our part is to acknowledge what He did by honoring it—& Him—by not living under the shadow of sin.
How do we do this?
1. Know what the issue is. Maybe you already know something that you need to make right. A confession of wrong doing. Admitting a mistake. Reaching out to a broken relationship. Or, perhaps nothing comes immediately to mind. In that case, simply ask the Lord if there is something. The Holy Spirit knows & He will show you. (You don’t need to make something up if it isn’t there!) If there is a list of things, that’s okay! Don’t be discouraged, simply start to make your way through it.
2. Take appropriate steps to make it right. Confess. Apologize. Make amends. If you aren’t sure what you are supposed to do, ask for wisdom. Again, you can trust Him to give it to you! Then, simply do what He asks. If you are unable to do so for some reason—for example, you are no longer in touch with the person—do your best & then entrust it to the Lord. Commit to making it right if & when you can. (Then don’t be surprised if they unexpectedly cross paths with you!)
A couple of things to keep in mind:
First, it isn’t on you to fix everything. You can’t force someone to offer forgiveness or mercy. You may not be able to fix something, even if you had a hand in breaking it. Your job is simply to do your part. Then trust the Lord with the rest. He isn’t at work only in you. He is working in the lives of those around you, too. Trust Him with the process & outcome.
Second, there is no such thing as too little or too big. If something comes to mind, don’t dismiss it because it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Follow through with it! You have no idea how important it might be. It is usually in the “little” areas that our character is formed & proven. Likewise, there is nothing “too big”. It may take courage for you to face something that seems so far out of your control or ability to make right. But, you are not facing it alone. The Lord is with you! And nothing is too big for Him.
There’s a lot more that can be said on the subject, but I think only one last thing is needed. Living with a clean conscious is truly one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It will bring you peace & soothe your soul like few things can. It carries a deep & abiding joy. It reconnects you to the “most intimate part of yourself” & creates the pathway to true health & wholeness. A new year is upon us, don’t let it come before you’ve done this.
A clean slate. A fresh year. The possibilities are endless.