Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Personal struggles

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (Romans 7:24)

I get frustrated with my body. It craves all the wrong items on the menu. It gets sick at the most inconvenient times. My vision is impaired. My skin gets dry and itchy. And we won’t even talk about hair loss or grayness. No matter how many times I take medicine or go to the doctor, my body keeps betraying me.

I also get frustrated with my soul. Sometimes I lose my temper. Other times I let worries drag me down. There are occasions when I spend money foolishly. Sometimes I have to force myself to do things that need getting done. No matter how many times I tell Jesus I’m sorry and ask to be forgiven, my soul keeps betraying me.

The common denominator is sin. Sin corrupts and sin kills. Sin permeates everything and everyone. It is because of sin that you and I get sick, suffer from various disabilities, and eventually die. It is because of sin that you and I fall into bad habits that we can’t break, treat our loved ones hurtfully, and end up consumed with guilt and self-pity.

I get frustrated, struggling with sin. I get tired of being sick or having to deal with a physical handicap. I kick myself for giving into temptations and letting selfishness hurt my relationships with others. And so I am grateful for the letters of St. Paul. He had the same aggravations that I do. He struggled with an unnamed medical condition; listen to what he says about it in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12: Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me…For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul also struggled with the corrupt desires brought about by sin: I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:19-25).

Life is a constant struggle with sin. But Jesus conquered sin’s power on the cross, and with Him on my side, I know that the power of sin can never destroy me.

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