Live 4 The LORD

Imagine someone whose entire body is covered with splinters. Big ones, small ones, all over. Like a human porcupine. That’s what our souls look like. Covered in vices. And we can’t do anything, we can’t even move, without feeling those vices, those splinters. And we know they shouldn’t be there. And deep down, we also know they make us miserable. But we hide from God because we know, if we go to Him, He’ll want to take all the splinters out. And that is precisely what we are afraid of.

Instead of going to God our Father in confession and begging Him for mercy, asking Him to remove our sins and vices, our splinters, instead we hide from Him and we think to ourselves, “I have been living with these splinters so long, well, I am used to them anyway. Besides God, you will never be able to get them out of me. And if you did, well, I couldn’t stand it. It would be too painful.”

Why would it be so painful to remove our vices? Because they are embedded, just like splinters. Our vices are so embedded, they’ve gotten under our skin so far that they seem part of us now. And if they are removed, we would feel like part of us was dying, that we were dying. So, we don’t want his mercy, we don’t want the vices removed. 

We’ve relied on pride, self-reliance, and the illusion of control. Our ambition, fueled by vanity, has brought us worldly success, and from that, we’ve drawn our identity and sense of worth. Envy has driven us to suppress the competition. And when we feel overwhelmed, bored, or alone, we turn to coping mechanisms, greed, gluttony, and lust, to numb the pain. But if all of that were stripped away, what would be left? How would I live, and who would I be?

So as soon as the Mercy of God tries to take out a splinter, we scream, “Stop, you are killing me! So just back off, God.” And all the while, we can hear the Father’s voice, “Trust me. You will feel better without the splinters.”

But we don’t trust in the Mercy of God. 

So, what should we do? What is our resolution?

Sit down with pen and paper. Then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your sins, your splinters. Make an honest examination of conscience. Then go to confession. 

Jesus wants to remove our splinters, and He can, but we have to trust Him and come to Him. But also realize, these splinters are really embedded. There are deep roots to our vices. By confession, Jesus forgives all our sins and floods our soul with healing grace, but it is a process to heal the vices we have made over a lifetime. So we must be patient with the remedy and do the work required to be healed. Daily meditation and a resolution, daily examination of conscience, and then confession at least once a month. Keep working, don’t quit, and be patient. The Mercy of God is at work! Jesus, I trust in You.