“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:8-9
John Ortberg begins Chapter 5 (“Sin and the Soul”) of Soul Keeping by citing two studies examining the impact of “fake adornment” on our ethics. In one study, women wearing cheap knock-off sunglasses were more than twice as likely to steal or cheat than women wearing the real thing. In the second study, women wearing fake sunglasses were more cynical in their attitudes toward others.
When we fake it in life to bolster our ego, Pastor Ortberg asserts, the result is that we feel like phonies, becoming more deceptive and cynical with others. The soul, he notes, has an exquisitely sensitive need to be made whole. Sinfulness combines the responses of diversion and collusion. First, we minimize our sin, reasoning that we haven’t committed a really heinous sin. Then we make a pact with others not to call them out on their sin if they won’t call us out on ours.
We cannot view any single act of dishonesty as a petty act. Because we are souls, everything is connected. That one deceptively petty act ends us shaping how we view ourselves. Prayer, meditation, and confession actually have the power to rewire our brain so we see ourselves as God sees us.
Today’s question: What has enabled you to honestly assess your response to your vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Overwhelming Positive Passion”
