Looking at Sin in a Different Way
There is usefulness in acknowledging that ‘hell’ is true. For me, hell constitutes the negative aspects of being and if continuously propagated, it can hurt us and others as well. Because we are living creatures, and we have an innate sense to preserve life, we pay attention more to things that hurt us as compared to things that makes us feel better. Probably because things that can hurt us will kill us and death is the end of any productive existence. When we draw the line on this hellish part of human nature, we inevitably define what is good. We start to acknowledge our own brighter potential, and then we can strive for the light.
Those who experience hell are those who sin greatly. To sin means to fall short from the ‘glory of God’. It means to behave in a way that drifts us farther from our heaven. We sin every time we allow our antagonistic self to drag us away from what we can become. We sin when we approve behaviors that will make us weak and worse. These creates an inner turmoil of guilt and shame because we know that the ‘good’ is being sacrificed for acts that moves us closer to hell.
Man’s heart is both good and evil and it is this contrast that makes positive change challenging. Our tendency to sabotage our own progress is as true as our capacity for good. To accept that reality is the first step to overcoming the shackles of sin. Remember, no one is asking you to be perfect. Perfection is the precondition of tyranny. Even God was not able to dissipate sin from the supposedly ‘perfect’ Garden of Eden. So, what makes you think you can?
It is safe to assume that everyone of us sin occasionally. When we do, we can give up our ideal self, remove all the boarders of sin and allow our urges to take control. But there is a better alternative: continue constraining sin while pursuing what is good. Keep on allowing what is better to flourish over what is worse. We cannot eliminate sin but maybe we can subjugate it. Maybe, that is what it means to strive for the Kingdom of Heaven. When we fall short from the glory of God, let us decide to keep moving forward again. So long as we do not lose the drive to become and overcome, then these relapses can be meaningful. When we sin and get back up, we discover the fortitude of the human spirit. But when we stay defeated, we sacrifice who we can be for mediocrity and possibly, for evil.
It is useful to treat sin as the antagonistic force in a hero’s journey. A hero is someone who is called for an adventure. An adventure that always involves making the world a better place. The hero needs to confront an enemy. He will not win all the battles, but with persistence, he can win the war. The enemy is essential in challenging the hero. In this encounter, the hero is strengthened and the greater the adversary the stronger the hero becomes. Embracing the narrative of the hero’s journey provides us with fresh perspectives on how we handle sin. It can be a source of inspiration to know that we are strong enough to overcome. It gives us hope that amidst falling a thousand times so long as we move forward and strived to be better, then things can be better. To embrace the hero narrative means to constrain the forces of hell from breaking loose while walking towards the narrow path to heaven. And maybe, by doing that consistently, life can be better for us and for the people around us.
Set a goal. Define what success looks like to you. Without it, you will be aimless like a wandering warrior who has no clue of what he is fighting for. And remember, to keep moving forward when you fall short from the ‘Glory of God’. Improvements will take a long while, but if you never let go of your north star, sooner, you will arrive.
In essence, it is better to wrestle with ourselves than to surrender to the naïve, undisciplined, and wicked parts of who we are. Imagine it this way. You just got out from the prison camps of hell into an arduous and narrow journey towards heaven. But you are still hell boy or hell girl, things that are hell are still within you. You will fall short because of this but if you move long enough, wander long enough, pursue long enough, then you might arrive in the promise land. Then probably, God will reward you and he will say, “well done, good and faithful servant.”
