Ive been reading through the book of Revelation, and this has been my reflection of late: One of the reasons people have a knee-jerk reaction to others who only focus on the inadequacies or imperfections or errors or sins of others is because this is not how God reacts to us. God sees the whole picture, starting with the good as the fundamental basis for the rest of his judgment. We were created for goodness, and thus, when we sin, we fall-short of the glory of God. And therefore our sin is always in contrast to what should have been, rather than standing on its own, for its own judgment. People who struggle with scrupulosity sometimes cannot see the forest from the trees. Sometimes there is a psychological reason for this, but sometimes it is the result of a culture that embodies the very satanic nature of shaming. Shaming is one of the devils greatest counterfeits to the healthy reality of guilt. Guilt tells us what we have done is wrong. Shame communicates to us that our nature is evil, deprived of the good, and that we are entirely unredeemable. This exaggerated and twisted form of guilt is not healthy for the soul. One particular, albeit inadvertent, way it is brought to fruition is through the constant nagging of another. That is to say, when a persons only means of communication is entirely negative pertaining to you; that is, you are never built up, but always smacked around for wrong-doing perceived or real. You begin to internalize what is communicated (intentionally or unintentionally) by the other which is: everything you do is wrong and everything you do right is not worth mentioning. This will reinforce shame, and set the soul in a place of hopelessness. Properly this is why the devil is called the Accuser. What I have noticed in good friends is the ability to challenge while building up. This requires a genuine love, and a desire to leave behind any resentment or personal hurts/ambitions in the process. I think the best form of bringing about conversion in others is being able to be a source of inspiration to others. If both are seeking holiness as their true end, then the other who devoutly seeks after that end will find him/herself enamored by the others devotedness. The accuser (Satan) of our brother (as Revelation puts it) is eventually cast out, because God doesnt seek to show us our sin apart from our goodness. Rather God shows us His love, despite our sin, and seeks to imbue within us a heart that wants to give Him thanksgiving, by turning away from sin, which falls short of our true nature. None of this means that we do not need correction, and the type that hurts from time to time. But be weary of those who only offer correction, and never develop or even try to develop friendship. It becomes a vehicle for the evil one. It is best just to shun such relationships.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:44:53 +0000
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