Friday, June 16, 2006 · no responses · comments closed

Two nights ago, as I waited for my water to boil, I read the Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea box (the boxes always have a variety of quotes, and this one was new). On the back was a list from Life’s Little Instruction Book, Vol II. The first instruction pricked my heart:

Pay as much attention to the things that are working positively in your life as you do to those that are giving you trouble.

I realized that for the past week or so (probably much longer), I’ve been focused solely on problems, faults, and sins.

Last night my friend Jeff shed some light on this. He pointed out that what set the Pharisees apart was their detailed analysis of sin. They took God’s laws and made them much bigger and more complex. They made the law a burden. In contrast, Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus also said that He came that we “may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” As Jeff put it, Jesus was passionate about life. What, then, moved the Pharisees? They were passionate about sin.

I had never thought about it that way, but that’s really what legalism is: a passion for sin. Cataloging it, analyzing it, checking if off: yes, they may be avoiding it, but it still seems to consume them. Consider two men dealing with lust. One indulges, doing exactly what he wants. And he undoubtedly has negative consequences, though they might not be immediately apparent (sin, after all, always produces death). The other, because he goes to church, knows that lust is wrong, and so he constantly monitors his thoughts, his eyes — -it’s everywhere for him because he’s always conscious of it. He’s not slept around, but is he any better off? The church-goer probably has lust on his brain as much as the other guy — -and he is likey less happy. Why? Because sin always produces death, whether you’re focused on doing it or focused on avoiding it. As Pastor Chris says, church people are some of the meanest people he knows because they spend all their time avoiding stuff they really want to do.

Legalism says, “spend your life not doing.” That’s a hard way to live. I can see the evidence of this in my own life in many areas. Take food. When I’m at home, I seem to eat every couple of hours. Food is readily available, and I have to constantly monitor what I’m eating and tell myself “No, you can’t have that yet” or “You can have just one.” On campus the other day, I realized that it had been many hours since I had eaten, and food hadn’t crossed my mind. Why? Because I was focused on doing instead of not doing. As I reflect on when I’m most likely to eat unnecessarily at home, it’s when I’m bored or unsure of what to do next. At work, I’m focused: I have a clear list of goals to achieve in the time I’m there. There’s no boredom.

Similarly, I find that my legalistic tendencies are less of a problem when I’m actively focused on doing what I’m called to do. When I’m writing and teaching or thinking about my writing and teaching, I’m consumed with what brings life to me. I don’t have time to think about sin, let alone be consumed by it. And because my focus is on life, there’s no need for checklists, monitoring, and analysis. This means, then, that the solution to sin is really pretty easy. Choose to do those things that bring you life. Consider Jesus’ words again: He came to bring us life

• in abundance
• to the full
• till it overflows

If I’m filled with life — -so full that it overflows —  — where’s the room for sin? I’m giving up my passion for sin. What about you?