Beware the Sin of Pride!

Many of us were carefully protected while we were young, so that we never suffered the tragedy of sexual abuse; others were used again and again for years to satisfy someone else’s twisted lusts and bear the scars of those experiences to this day.

We can and should claim no credit for the blessings of God that insured that we would not be troubled by same-sex attractions.

So, let none of us fall into the traps that Satan and the world have set for us all.
As Gordon Dalbey has written, “The conservative temptation simply to condemn and reject the homosexual man not only hinders his healing, it exacerbates the cause of his problem. And the liberal effort to excuse his actions as ‘healthy’ only hinders the homosexual’s healing process, which requires that he accept responsibility for his actions.... It is not a sin to be born of a possessive mother and a distant father, nor to have consequent homosexual fantasies. It is a sin to refuse to surrender yourself to Jesus and let God begin to shape you into His image as a man” [Healing the Masculine Soul, (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1991), p. 107].

But please remember, the image God wants to shape us all into is not just a matter of sexuality. It is Christ likeness—the likeness of Him who was the friend of publicans and sinners (Matthew 11:19).

My pastor is teaching an adult Sunday school class on The Confessions of St. Augustine. Ponder these words, spoken to God: “No one who considers his frailty would dare to attribute to his own strength his chastity and innocence, so that he has less cause to love you—as if he had less need of your mercy by which you forgive the sins of those converted to you. If man is called by you, follows your voice, and has avoided doing those acts which I am recalling and avowing in my own life, he should not mock the healing of a sick man by the Physician, whose help has kept him from falling sick, or at least enabled him to be less gravely ill. He should love you no less, indeed even more; for he sees that the one who delivered me from the great sicknesses of my sins is also he through whom he may see that he himself has not been a victim of the same great sicknesses.” [Saint Augustine, Confessions II.7.15 translated by Henry Chadwick, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), p. 32-33]

A good friend recently sent me this: “Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

“He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter terror, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.

Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late! Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his creams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father’s fingernails had dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.

"The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, ‘But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms too. I have them because my Dad wouldn’t let go.’
“You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding on to you.

"Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are a child of God (John 1:12). He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

“But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril—and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That’s when the tug-or-war begins—and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.“And please remember, never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they got them” [Author unknown].

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34,35). The love of Christ never condoned sin because sin destroys! That love did not, however, meet those who had sinned harshly. It said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Friend, “Go and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37).And to the struggler—please revisit Step 3 in the HA workbook to find some of the reasons God allowed your struggle and the blessing He has for you as you work through it. As there is no reason for pride in those who do not struggle, there is no reason for self-pity in those of us who do!

--John J, Reading, PA