Dear sin, I hate your stinking guts..

I hate sin, I assume we all do.

Tonight your sin affected me. Yes yours. And tonight, my sin affects you. No sin ever affects just the person committing it. I found something tonight, something that highlighted and made obvious a past sin of someone. It hurt my heart so badly. I was sharing with Marc why it hurt so bad and then BOOM again, I was bombarded on Facebook by someones diarrhea of the mouth and there it goes again. That sin, it sure knows how to get around and it sure knows how to get to me. Your sin made me angry, disappointed by your lack of virtue which further disappointed me into despair. Ah, this downward spiral....and here I am not even knowing how you feel.

I may not know your sins and I don't care too. What I do know is this, your sins affect you too. It binds you in slavery away from God.

Separates you from God. That is sin.

How can we not hate it?

Back to my discovery.

This discovery for a brief moment caused judgement in my heart towards someone. Following that was great grief. I was explaining to Marc how much it hurts me to know that someone is sinning. It always has. I am sure this is just a minuscule glimpse of the way God feels when I sin. Working in ministry it is hard to detach myself from the hurt that people feel from there sins. It is something I strive to do not only as a Youth Minister but as a human but then that is just it,

I am human and your hurt hurts me too.

I have been blessed (even if sometimes it doesn't feel that way) to have a great maternal care. I TRULY care about each person I encounter, even if I can stand them. I strive to see Christ in each person I encounter. I pray that they see Him in me too.

I find comfort in knowing that God comforts, He doesn't give me discouragement. God gives his mercy, not condemnation. For me and for you, for all who ask of it.

I also find comfort in our Blessed Mother, I love the verse in Luke (2:35), when Jesus is presented at the temple, Simeon tells Mary that her heart will be pierced. Mary's heart was broken when her son was  nailed to a tree because of our sins. I cling to her tightly when I feel overwhelmed by the effects of sin.

In fact, I cling to her and her son tightly. I can't imagine the heartache I would cause myself if I didn't.

Still Hopeful in You

+Rita