“There is great value in looking inward. Interior examination is a commitment we…

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“There is great value in looking inward. Interior examination is a commitment we all must give ourselves to, through God’s grace.
But note that his grace turns us inward for the sake of self-awareness, confession, and ultimately love. This process, in the paradoxical beauty of God’s way, ends with us growing in our outward love.
Sin, however, turns us inward in such a way that we get stuck, horribly so. It causes us to desire an illusion—to center the world on our comfort, security, fear, desire, and personal perspective. It curves us inward, leaving little room for God or anyone else. So, sin is not just something we do but a power we fall under, a power that curves us into ourselves until we become stuck there.

Now once again, ask with me these age-old questions: Why is the world fractured? Why are we so broken? The simple answer is right here: sin. Its results are that we become closed off from others. Sin is destructive because it causes us to live self-seeking lives over and against others. It is never personal, never private. It’s what’s behind the subtle (and not-so-subtle) grasping for power that marks our world. It’s the energy behind the violence, the dynamo beneath all the arrogance, apathy, and hatred. Sin is at work when those who have experienced undeniable racism are not met with empathy and care but rather are demonized for naming the problem. Sin is what’s at work when we shrug our shoulders in the face of grave injustice. Sin is present when we refuse to treat another with dignity.”

Villodas, Rich. Good and Beautiful and Kind

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