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Sin is like fat! There, I said it. Obesity, i.e. “fat”, is a major problem in our country. According to a Center for Disease Controls report the prevalence of obesity in adults age 20-74 more than doubled in the past 30 years, from 15.0% in a ’76-’80 study to 32.9% in a ’03-’04 study. Everything around us, it seems, is “supersized”, “biggie sized”, XXL… and growing! I’m a typical male who was skinny when I married in ’79 and have added 2-3 lbs. every year since. You get sloppy in your eating habits and you quit exercising and the weight adds right up! But it’s not bad, you think. You look in the mirror and suck in your gut and think “Not bad. Not bad for a ___ year old.” If you turn a certain way and it’s the right time of day… right? You can delude yourself for years if you want, but you can’t begin to get back into shape until you look in the same mirror and admit “I’m fat!” Forget the vertical striped clothes and using wardrobe tricks to appear slimmer visually… the mirror doesn’t lie when a naked body is in front of it! Sin does the same thing to people over time. Gradually it seeps into their lives a little more every month and every year. They don’t recognize the added addiction to certain things. The profanities that come out of their mouth don’t faze them like they used to. The spiritual laziness that is a companion to sin is easy and comfortable. If you ask them about their soul – and I have, plenty of times – the first statement that many make is “Oh, I live a pretty good life.” They’re quick to list the good things they do for others… to show you the “clothes” that they wrap their “fat” in to make it look good! And just like obesity, when you take the clothes off… when you strip away the good works and the “I’m not so bad” protestations away… the underlying problem is revealed – sin. Just like a drill sergeant won’t accept lazy, out of shape recruits, neither will God accept sin. The key to losing weight is 2 things – eat less and exercise more. The key to losing sin is 2 things – repentance and being filled with the Holy Spirit. You can ignore obesity and sin… try to hide them… convince yourself that you’re “not bad”… but until you wake up and face the reality of your condition and make a CHOICE to do something about it, your life won’t change. The good news about sin is that Christ has paid the price for it and that He wants to help you overcome it in your daily life! He alone has the power to make you a new creation complete with a new heart and a new mind. Isn’t it time to shed the weight of sin in your life?
Rev. Gary Collier is pastor at Christ’s Sanctified Holy Church located at 791 White Pond Rd. He can be reached at garybcollier@gmail.com or by calling 854-3003. You may access and share “Gary’s Musings” by going to www.cshcl.com .
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