My sin hurts everybody.
I like to convince myself that it only affects me, but that’s the farthest from the truth. Try as I might, the ripple effect of sin never stops at just me; it always impacts others.
I can hide it, sugarcoat it, or ignore it, but the nasty truth remains: Sin is sin and sin hurts.
It sure does. It impacts everyone.
It keeps me in a broken place. I mean, I’m healed in Him, but I still live in this body of flesh and I see my sin all too well. So, I cry.
I cry out for more of Him.
He is faithful.
Love you, Alece.
By: Michelle on September 23, 2008
at 7:47 pm
It just reminds me over and over again how great God’s grace is, and how wonderful it is when others use that grace in accordance to our sins too.
By: moweezle on September 23, 2008
at 8:07 pm
Does this one link to my blog?
By: Maureen on September 23, 2008
at 8:20 pm
yes maam. but then we can’t see your picture!
By: alece on September 23, 2008
at 8:25 pm
hmmm.
it’s a hard to thing remember and a very convenient thing we try to forget.
By: danielle on September 23, 2008
at 9:28 pm
yee.ouch.
I was just talking to a friend this morning about how we ALL sin. And sin is sin. And none of us are better than others.
And yes, it hurts others. Even if not right then, down the road, at some point, someone will suffer because of our sin. *sigh*
Remember this when you become a mom. It hits doubly hard then.
love you! ;-)
By: Brandy on September 23, 2008
at 9:29 pm
ouch maam..!!
Grace is beautiful..
By: Heidi on September 23, 2008
at 9:29 pm
at first when I read this I read SHIN and not SIN, I was starting to wonder how your SHIN has an effect on me, when I decided to take another look at it.
You are so right though.
By: faithstart on September 23, 2008
at 10:40 pm
isn’t it interesting how we argue with ourselves and say that our sin only affects us. its okay to “hurt” myself - its only me.
but that is so not true.
even if it was, each one of is the detailed craft of God. and hurting that isn’t right either.
like brandy said, my past sin (although forgiven and far in the past) will affect my children someday. i’ll have to sit down with my girls and tell them about the wrongs i did. yes, sigh.
there are always consequences.
By: sarahmarkley on September 23, 2008
at 10:59 pm
Yes you are right. I think about how it affects my kids. I want to be a good example to them.
By: jennifer on September 23, 2008
at 11:08 pm
Isn’t that just the truth … and what’s more, humans like to classify and categorize sin … one is worse than another. For example, my “little white lie” is worse than your (not you, literally)adultery … NOT! Truth is … sin is sin is sin. There are no degrees of it. And, when that lesson is learned, then, Lord willing, we will judge less and embrace and give forgiveness more freely. I love that. And, praise God there is forgiveness. That precious Jesus paid the debt for me and everyone else who will receive it. Our Daddy is good! Hallelujah!
By: Debra on September 23, 2008
at 11:21 pm
I had a preacher tell me once that when I explained a particular life situation to my children, I should call that sin a sin. That didn’t feel good to me to call sin a sin. It hurt my mouth to say it, but it was good, sound advice. Because it is easier to excuse behavior using society’s standard, than to call it sin. Gross to call my behavior sin, but that is what it is. Plain and simple. Praise God that with repentance and truth comes restoration and change. That is good stuff.
A counselor friend also said a really wise thing … “It’s okay to be angry (or fill in the emotion), but it’s not okay to sin.” God reminds me often that little people are learning from me. One of my prayers is to live out Micah 6:8 … “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Prayerfully, I will shine His light, His forgiveness and His mercy in my life and through repentance from my sin … and others will see His goodness.
By: Debra on September 24, 2008
at 12:05 am
My husband and I just had a conversation on this very topic! Yes, sin is sin, no matter what the offense, and it affects others. Do you suppose God made it affect others so that we have even more motivation to do the right thing when we are struggling with sin?
By: April on September 24, 2008
at 12:47 am
If it were me being real about sin would you be as hard on me as you are on yourself? Hate the sin, love the sinner??? Mistakes, even deliberate ones are done because even when we think we know what we’re doing - the fact remains we just can’t comprehend what we’re doing and so we do it anyway. Just like Paul. I am very hard on myself about sin but slowly I’m learning that I please the enemy when I don’t forgive myself - isn’t that the biggest sin?? You inspire me.
By: Hope on September 24, 2008
at 2:13 am
You are forgiven, Alece.
By: @ngie on September 24, 2008
at 2:48 am
“always impacts others”: totally.
I think that might be some added motivation to choose wisely.
By: Amy Ellison on September 24, 2008
at 3:26 am
Ah! Of course I didn’t bother to read all the comments until after I commented! I see April and I were thinking along the same lines…
By: Amy Ellison on September 24, 2008
at 3:28 am
I love you Alece and I forgive you too.. I’ve been thinking about this post ALL day long..
How my own sin affects others around me…
By: Heidi on September 24, 2008
at 5:01 am
I have to forgive myself for my sins as our Father has. If not I am not accepting his Grace. I have to try not to sin. I have to be conscience of what I am doing, saying. It does affect others even people we don’t know. But if I continue to punish myself for it that also affects others.
I too, as others have said, will have some things to explain to my kids. I am sure my husband does too. Sin is Sin and it does hurt. I chose to accept God’s gift and try my hardest not to create too much OUCH in the future.
By: Theresa on September 24, 2008
at 6:14 am
ahhhh. yes. and as was already said we tend to forget that. or at least in the moment, we conveniently forget that.
we = I
By: tam on September 24, 2008
at 6:37 am
i wrote this post in response to a situation that’s been unfolding in my life that, surprisingly, doesn’t involve my sin. but seeing how someone else’s sin has affected my own life as well as so many others, it brought home the truth of how that same principle applies to me as well…
By: alece on September 24, 2008
at 10:07 am
For me the first step to true and sincere repentance has been hating that my sin has hurt others. This causes me to confess and ask for forgiveness. The experience is painful but vital for my own growth.
By: traciejane on September 24, 2008
at 12:57 pm
it’s true. i don’t believe true repentance can come without that understanding…
By: alece on September 24, 2008
at 12:59 pm
Sin of others may be the time God uses to reveal our own sin. I listened to a dvd teaching this morning and the pastor talked about how when someone sins against us we tend to want God to punish them. But then he went on to say that God is not interested in that, He is more interested in changing us and our heart towards that person. And he referenced 2 Corinthians 10:5-6. I wrote it down and next to it put *dang*- I was convicted.
By: traciejane on September 24, 2008
at 1:28 pm
indeed!
By: alece on September 24, 2008
at 1:31 pm
I remember the moment I realized this concept- the very moment. It was very painful.
And, it wasn’t even my sin- I saw it from a distance, and gained perspective.
Something that I probably wouldn’t have done affected my entire dorm floor, and from the time a decision was made by that person, it made our floor less of a unit. Sin is way more like a slinky than stuffed in individual boxes, like we’d like to think is how it all works.
(I love you.
I love you
I love you.)
By: Becca on September 24, 2008
at 1:37 pm
i thought of you as i was writing this, becca, because i know you’ve been in a similar place to where i am now…
By: alece on September 24, 2008
at 1:44 pm
Thank you for being honest and reminding me of that…
By: Chelsea on September 25, 2008
at 2:58 am
Even as a nonreligious, that is quite touching.
By: The University Princess on September 25, 2008
at 4:25 am
Hmmmm, thinking… thinking about what the bible says about sin…. We are no longer slaves to sin and unrighteousness but slaves to righteousness. Sin has no dominion over us. Jesus has washed away all our sin, previous and present….
Just spitting out my thoughts…. Not arguing a point… God has been talking to me about how sin does not need to rule me, and I do not have to live under condemnation of it any longer. And I don’t even have to sin any longer, cause it has no hold on me.
I guess sin does hurt others…. but we don’t have to sin…. Ya know?
By: Anna on September 25, 2008
at 3:07 pm
I thank God everyday He’s made the cross a safe place to land. Despite ourselves. Depsite me. Grace, Mercy, Love. How blessed are we!
By: Roxanne Kristina on September 28, 2008
at 4:37 am
this much i know is true: grace happened.
By: alece on September 28, 2008
at 9:56 pm
Hey You stole my line…
I love you… and I am glad..
GRACE Happened… We serve a great God!!
By: Heidi on September 28, 2008
at 10:01 pm
i TOTALLY stole your line. thanks for letting me use it!
By: alece on September 28, 2008
at 10:07 pm
For you anything!!!
By: Heidi on September 28, 2008
at 10:10 pm