Note To Self: Draining Sin & Broken Clocks
A few thoughts on sin and how it drains us.
Sin is draining in at least two main ways. First, it eats away at our conscience. With each wrong choice, our conscience becomes a bit more hardened and troubled. We begin to doubt our own moral compass and lose peace of mind. Sin influences us to grow callous towards good and numb towards evil. It separates us from our truest self.
Second, sin consumes our energy and focus, drawing us away from the things that truly matter — love of God and love of neighbors. Instead of living for eternal purposes, we get sucked into the petty desires of the flesh and ego. Sin breeds selfishness and self-absorption, draining us of generosity, compassion and delight in things outside ourselves.
The antidote? Repentance and grace. Repentance, where we come face to face with our sin, condemn it, and turn our feet back towards goodness and truth. And grace — the free, unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ. His love renews our spirit, washes away shame and guilt, and rekindles hope within us. With grace, we find the strength to press on, to fight sin even when we fail, and to live life as it was meant to be lived — joyfully, courageously and fully alive.
As a sinner saved by grace, I know both the sorrow of sin and the hope of Christ. Sin frustrates me like a broken clock that cannot tell the right time. No matter how hard I try to fix it, I keep making new mistakes. The hands spin round and round, getting further from truth and accuracy. Left to itself, a broken clock only brings frustration.
But Christ is my hope. He is like the Watchmaker who created time itself. Though I am broken, He still loves me and wants to mend me. When I bring my broken self to Him and admit I cannot fix myself, He gently takes the clock and works on it with patient love. He replaces broken gears, tightens loose screws, and winds the mainspring once more. Though I still slip occasionally, the clock tells time much better now. And I know that one day, when Christ has finished His work in me, the clock will tell perfect time, synchronized with eternity.
This gives me hope to press on. Though I am still a sinner, by God’s grace I am also a saint. I may fail a thousand times, but Christ’s love never fails. So I trust in Him, the perfect Watchmaker, who calls me friend and promises one day to make me new. This hope redeems my failures and frustrations, allowing me to keep going despite my brokenness, until the day I am finally mended and made perfect in His loving hands.
So take heart! We are broken clocks, but Christ is the great Watchmaker who wants to mend our gears and springs and set our hearts keeping time with His. Place your hope in Him, and find peace even amid your frustrations with sin.
Never lose heart, friends. Though sin drains us, God’s grace restores. Seek repentance, open your heart to grace, and rise up once more to walk in the sunlight of His love. That is the only life truly worth living.