"Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east,
and there he placed the man he had made.
The LORD God made all sorts of trees
grow up from the ground--
trees that were beautiful
and that produced delicious fruit.
In the middle of the garden
he placed the tree of life
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
Genesis 2:8-9
I stood before the mirror in the Fun House trying to decipher the image that was reflected back. My head ballooned out to three times its normal size and my legs looked impossibly short. As I turned around, I caught a glimpse of my once-average sized body blown up to mammoth proportions, making me wonder the wisdom of eating that delicious elephant ear that still lingered on my lips. Taking a step to my left, my image suddenly reminded myself of a skyscraper with long legs and arms, giving me the rare persona of a tall, thin model.
Fun House mirror images have a way of distorting reality, giving me a perspective that does not truly exist. In a similar way, sin distorts my view. God made so much that is good, but my sin nature makes me discontent with all that. Instead of living each day based on what I see when I look into the truth of God's Word, I tend to look through my own sin-tainted eyes, viewing the world for what I think it is instead of seeing the dangers that lie there.
Sin is Blind
Where my friend saw peace and tranquility, I could only sense strife and chaos. From my friend's point-of-view I enjoyed the hope of heaven but in my frustration I felt like there was nothing left to live for.
Sin has a way of blinding me to all the good that God offers. Through my tainted eyes, I pick out the troubles, discouragements and difficulties of life, defining my life by the negative side of things. For instance, where God created a beautiful rose rich with color and ordained with jewel-like dew drops, my flesh hones in on the sharp thorns ready to tear my skin to pieces if I dare come close.
My loving Father gave me a spirit of power, love and self-discipline but I tend to focus on my insecurities and the fear that often rears its ugly head. (2 Timothy 1:7) The Lord made me for Himself, but my sin nature cries out to be the center of attention, often winning my affections.
God offers me many good things through faith in Jesus Christ, but sin blinds me to this excellence and draws me toward the ugly.
Sin is Defiant
She was the picture of defiance as she stood in the candy aisle of the local grocery store; arms crossed, brow furrowed and foot stamping in demand. "Hmmph! I want bubble gum!"
Her mother stood with equal determination, calmly doing what was best for the 4-year-old. "You are not getting a treat. Now let's go." Before the pre-schooler knew what was happening, her powers of persuasion were eliminated as she suddenly found herself in the shopping cart, swiftly moving away from the sweets she so desperately wanted. Darn it all!
While it's been a long time since I've had a temper-tantrum in the grocery store, I'm not so different from that young girl. There are many times when I think my way is better than God's. When He offers the peace that comes from following His lead, I tend to blaze my own trail, preferring the way that seems right to me. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
If God allows a time of pain and suffering into my life as a way to grow my faith and build my character, I lash out in anger, wondering why all the bad stuff seems to happen to me. (Romans 5:3-5) The defiant nature of my sin also persuades me to choose my own solution to a problem instead of seeking God's.
God's plan for my life defines the path He has created for me to follow, but sin blinds me to the wisdom of His narrow path.
Sin Corrupts
I stood with the other members of my high school band, waiting to receive my housing assignment for the weekend. Our musical group was in the middle of a week-long road trip where we stopped in different communities and played our music for appreciative crowds. In order to cut down on expenses, we mostly stayed with host families.
One of my classmates reported to rehearsal the next morning after spending the night with her temporary family lamenting about the horrible conditions. "We ate dinner together around a big table and they even had the nerve to pray before the meal. I was so uncomfortable that I wanted to run away!" This young lady was so used to living in an environment where she was not loved or appreciated that when she ran into the love of God, her natural reaction was to run away.
Sin twists my perception into thinking what is good for me is actually bad, and vice versa. In the same way that my fellow band member viewed the wholesome, Christian family as a threat, so my sin nature deceives me into preferring destruction over life.
I see this in the culture around me where homosexuality is portrayed as an alternate lifestyle instead of as an affront to God. (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27) It also shows up in the way abortion is presented as a woman's choice instead of as the more accurate description of the taking of a life God created for a purpose. This corruption of sin is also prevalent in popular music, where sex is simply a form of recreation between friends instead of an activity ordained by God to take place in a committed marriage relationship. (Exodus 20:14)
God prepared many good things for me to do in my life, but sin corrupts my vision so those plans seem wrong. (Ephesians 2:10)
In the same way that a Fun House mirror distorts my perception of reality, so sin skews the way I see things. Sin blinds me to all the good God offers, develops a defiant spirit within me, and corrupts my way so the good He has for me seems bad. Since sin wreaks such havoc on my perception, then, I would be wise to walk in the Spirit, nailing my sin and it's power to the cross. (Galatians 5:16)
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can be sensitive to the leading of God's Spirit.
When do I trust in my own understanding instead of blindly following the will of God?
How am I letting sin corrupt my vision?
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