underdog Posted January 22, 2004 Are we slowly slipping away? Have we ever bought something solely for the purpose of showing it off? Have we ever taken home a few of our employer’s office supplies… pens, paper clips, copy paper? Have we ever been a participant to negative “chit chat” about someone who’s not in the room? Have we ever zipped into the last parking space in a busy lot because we got there two seconds before the old lady creeping toward the space in the beat-up Buick? Have we ever averted our eyes in disgust from a homeless man who’s lying in the gutter? Have we ever been so busy that we haven’t had five minutes to return a phone call from a friend in need? Have we ever turned someone else’s problems into an opportunity to talk about ourselves? Have we ever said “yes” to an invitation we knew we weren’t going to keep because it was easier than saying “no”? Yes, little sins—the small, almost invisible faults that silently tear down our character and our moral resiliency. Little sins—the blind spots that make us more vulnerable to the larger scope of evil. There are seven underlying platforms of human vulnerability that account for many of the “little sins” in our lives. These platforms are at the root of many things that we do and say. They may make us feel vaguely bad, a bit naughty, or maybe we feel nothing at all. The roots of little sin fall into the following areas: Unfair Judgments—how our view of surface indicators and appearances leads us to make false and harmful conclusions about others. Vanity—how focusing on our looks and worldly accomplishments propels us into an exhausting, spinning, competitive state that undermines our walk with God. Materialism—how commercialism, excess spending, and misarranging our priorities distance us from God. Boredom—how an idle, unchallenged mind feeds itself on destructive earthly nourishment like gossip and pop culture. Omission—how we “look the other way” and slip into a net of inertia when people need us the most. Indolence—how our over-scheduled, consumer-oriented lifestyle drains us of the energy required to give to those who don’t have the means to “return the favor.” Broken Promises and Empty Words—how our spiritual and earthly relationships suffer when we don’t keep our commitments and mean what we say. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thinkerman Posted January 28, 2004 Interesting thoughts thx for sharing them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites