Sin is anything you do against God or even yourself.

We can sin against ourselves? Yes, because the human race was created in our Lord’s image. Our body is our sacred temple, our soul is a delicate being.

So what would it look like to sin against ourselves?

Well, sinning toward God is anything opposite of the 10 commandments and slightly more, but to sin against ourself is no different. Like smoking marijuana; it feels good, makes you feel like you are walking on the clouds, but extended use and use with no other purpose than to medicate the mind from trauma is not how we are supposed to handle such situations.

As our soul is so soft, the traumatic things we experience are things we are supposed to learn from, and to understand them, NOT bury it with a temporary high or bury it with fake smiles, but allowing ourselves to embrace the pain and understand it, is how you move on from it. It’s how you become immune to the same trauma and falling into the same hole.

We have fallen short of perfect everyday, but the difference between someone who is strong and someone who is weak and vulnerable is simply the way they handle their emotions. “Men” don’t see this. They think they mustn’t tell others what burdens them, or to show emotion.

I myself am a part of this. I buried too much to unpack in one sitting. I am learning the consequences of this now as I go through life and see the beauty of raw emotion, the connection between one another in an intimate moment of sharing experiences. My punishment is seeing the damage I have done within the family, as my parents struggle to understand me, my siblings don’t even see me. The most emotionally disrupting part is that I want to see them happy and not struggle, I want them to experience the love of Jesus and I cannot be the one to bring them in because I have tainted my image as a son. I simply cannot lead them. But to give up would be even worse. Yet it might relieve some of the stress I bare, it would dissatisfy the Lord.

We’re to spread his word, his story so others can feel that same feeling.

So I say to you, don’t be afraid of your emotions. Be afraid when you are emotionless. Expressing our emotions is powerful because it’s a form of humility.

Proverbs 29:23- ‘Pride brings a person low, but those low in spirit gain honor‘

With scripture it is important to get context for the verse by reading the previous verses, but in this verse and many others you will find this; to be full of pride is like being made of concrete, solid as a rock yet too heavy to move swiftly. But to lay down your pride is to be made of Kevlar-bulletproof and weighs much less, allowing you to not be stagnant.

Being prideful in something requires you to remain where you are to keep getting the glory, but doing things for God requires you to be on your feet, completing small tasks and knowing that God put you there for his purpose, not your own.

By no means am I some prophet, but I have learned enough to pour out of my own cup into yours. Jesus is always waiting for you to hear his call, so pick up the phone.