Dealing with the Seven Deadly Sins
When I look out of the kitchen window at home, I marvel at how prolific and healthy the garden is. Not the good stuff (flowers or shrubs which we might actually have chosen and planted) but the weeds – they seem unstoppable! Every nook and cranny of soil or gaps between paving seems to be just right for flourishing weeds, nettles, the odd thistle, and a range of things I can’t identify but don’t look like they are worth cultivating.
The upside is, it’s a great excuse to use the power washer to blast the unwanted growth from the patio. A therapeutic hour or so of fun gets rid of the weeds and leaves the stones an entirely new and brighter colour. Just need to hose down the house windows afterwards!
It’s not only the garden that provides territory for weeds. When Adam and Eve were expelled from the fabulous Garden of Eden, the ground they were left with was prone to thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:18). It doesn’t take a great deal of self-awareness to spot how our character can become fertile ground for behaviours, attitudes and values that are equally undesirable.
If we were to pause and take a look within we might see these: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger and sloth. The seven deadly sins. Not just undesirable but also potentially damaging to our relationships, our well-being, to our walk with God, to our health, and more.
Shift the garden to the warzone, these infamous deadly sins are like unexploded bombs. They might be left undetected, ignored, or hidden in plain sight yet still have a truly destructive capacity.
Our soul is made to flourish in God’s hands, our character is precious and intended to become more like that of Jesus, yet these deadly sins can ruin our relationship with others, rob us of joy with God, and diminish our life as a whole. Some deliberate and careful bomb disposal may be very timely. But first we have to spot them.
Each of these infamous seven are alive and thriving in our world at large, not just in our minds, which makes it harder for us to call them out. But the Bible is chock-full of examples and encouragements of how God works in people to change and reshape them, how he reveals the impact of sin in their lives (which we can learn from) but also how he wonderfully points us to what God might grow in our character instead.
God’s plan is not just to dismantle our damaging traits but with his help, power, people and presence to bring a good and glorious life to fruition. Far more than clearing the ground, of bombs, weeds or sins, God wants and provides for new and good growth. It could transform our home or marriage, our workplace and health, our spiritual joy and confidence.
Bomb disposal is not easy, it needs time and focus, but with tools and care it’s life-changing and life-bringing. Maybe your soul is waiting for this.
Bomb Disposal is Available on Amazon
