The Difference is Human

I've noticed an insidious trend in my habits lately. One that, if left unchecked, could spiral out of control, giving it the potential to wreak havoc on a life that's on the mend. I obviously can't afford that. In this process of maturing, I have to nip this sort of thing at the bud.

The reason I describe my new tendency as insidious is that it's "sneakier" than your average backslide. For all this time, I've had to fight with my proclivities to complain, rebel, and sulk. That hasn't been easy, because they've been normal for me for as long as I can remember. But now that I'm starting to learn how to deal with those behaviors, a new challenge has arisen.

The sneaky part is that the nature of these struggles has been different. In a manner of speaking, they've been less core-related, more surface-level. That is, they have more to do with my direct actions than the reasons behind them. That's why it's been so easy to shrug them off as innocuous, because the actions themselves don't stem from my personal inner brokenness. At least, not the typical aspects of it (rebellion, depression, complacency, etc.). In truth they're just worldly things that can be used for good or bad, depending on the situation. Such things can have an appropriate time, place, and amount. And for the most part, they have.

But that's where things get fuzzy. Moderation is a fine line that I think is tailored to the individual and the situation. There's no sweeping legislation on it. It's also an easy thing from which to stray if proper, firm boundaries aren't established. Once astray, it becomes increasingly easier to let things slip, which, over time, degenerates into more severe problems.

I should stress again, I don't think the activities in question are inherently sinful. They don't disobey God's commands at a rudimentary level. Take, for practical instance, drinking. If done in moderation, it's not bad. Jesus drank wine. Not only that, but He worked a miracle that permitted and encouraged other people to drink it with Him. But as we've learned from other places in the Bible, not to mention modern society, an excess of such behavior can be damaging. I believe the same thing applies for everything.

My conclusion is that all worldly things that are not inherently sinful should be done only appropriately and in moderation. Otherwise they will invariably become sinful.

It's my responsibility as a Christian and an acknowledged creation in the image of God to make sure that my actions point to Him. And that's done not through either legalist or libertine "Christianity" with regard to worldly things, but by being careful in everything to live as Christ lived. That allows and sometimes requires us to use the worldly things as tools accordingly, but always prayerfully, and with a clear perspective of how our behaviors and their consequences reflect our faith.