Hogs like to wallow in the mud. The muddy places they frequent are called “hog wallows.” But we are not hogs. People like to be clean. We shower every day, sometimes two or even three times. We wash our hands so often we stop counting.
We have one type of soap for hands, another for bodies, a third for hair, a fourth for teeth. There is laundry soap, dishwashing soap, car wash soap, pet soap, horse soap, soap for precious metals, soap for glass, soap for tile floors, soap for wood floors, and soap for power washing concrete. Americans spend over $85 per person, per year on soap and detergents. We are obsessed with cleaning.
When a lost person gives their life to Christ, they sometimes feel an incredible sense of being clean after Jesus washes away their sin. But then they sin again. And again. And that requires adjusting to a new reality: as a believer, your sins are forgiven, but your habits don’t change overnight. It is easy to begin to wallow in your sin—to feel discouraged and end up stuck there. It’s as though you keep stumbling into a hog wallow and finding yourself covered in mud. At some point, you stop getting up to wash it off.
But don’t do that! If you have given your life to Christ, then you KNOW He forgives you. You have no right not to forgive yourself. That’s like saying, “Well, Jesus, I know you forgive me, but my standards are just a little bit higher than yours….” Do you see how crazy that is–and how prideful? You must forgive yourself. Over and over. Get up out of the mud. Stop wallowing in it. Let Jesus wash you clean again and again forever, and keep trying to do better. You WILL begin to do better. Show yourself some patience.
The prophet Micah wrote: “You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” Micah 7:19.
I like the way Corrie Ten Boom paraphrased it:
“God buries our sins in the depths of the sea and then puts up a sign that reads, ‘NO FISHING.’”
Stop fishing! Stop dredging up old sins and making yourself crazy with guilt over them. Forgive yourself and move forward. Wallowing in your sin will only cause you to keep sinning—and punishing yourself for sin is often motivated more by pride (also sin!) than by any godly impulses. There is a place for repentance and fasting—we must take things seriously. But if you are sincerely seeking God and striving to improve through His power, don’t fight His grace. Let Him restore you so you can get out of the mud and begin to bear fruit for His kingdom.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 