What about Me?

by Francine Biere
Published January 31, 2006

Blessed are those who mourn … Matthew 5:4 Part 2
Click here to go to Part 1

What's harder than looking at the ugly side of people? Perhaps looking at the ugly side of ourselves?

Mourning for destitute and evil people is probably one of the most difficult things Jesus asks us to do – it's part of loving our neighbor. Yet, for some, looking at other's sins is a whole lot easier than looking at their own.

What about our own sin? Should we mourn over that?

If we become complacent about other things in our lives, how far away are we from becoming complacent about ourselves? We shrug off the nudges we receive about our own behavior. You know that uncomfortable feeling when you know you've done or said something that you'd never think about doing if you were in the presence of Jesus.

The harder picture is one where we envision being face-to-face with him … eating with him, working beside him, watching TV with him. How would you behave?

It's easy to look the other way, isn't it? I only say this because I am guilty of it. It seems the more we are in the world and buy into its way of thinking and living, the easier this becomes. The world's belief that there are no moral absolutes is a disguise for living without rules. If there are no rules, what guidelines are we to live by? On the other hand, maybe the question should be who makes the determination of what is right and wrong?

If you have ever been around a small child who has not been taught right from wrong, you have a picture of what happens when there are no rules. The natural tendency is to do whatever feels good or whatever brings immediate satisfaction, regardless of the consequences. Some behaviors bring almost immediate negative results – stick your finger in an electrical outlet and you're probably going to get shocked. Maybe not the first time, maybe not even the second. Nevertheless, the chances are good that it will happen. Of course, as parents and adults, we teach children how to be safe.

However, consider the criminals I alluded to in part one. Sadly, many of them derive pleasure from criminal or immoral behavior. That may seem like I'm stretching the point. And that is the point. Where does it end?

There was a popular saying a few years back that caught lots of attention: "What would Jesus do?" It was a good question to use as a reminder of how our Lord might respond in certain situations. But it's easy to back away from that – after all, we aren't like Jesus. He's perfect.

However, it doesn't mean we just ignore our sins – even the little ones or those sins of omission. Of course, the question that begs asking is, what sin?

Going down the list of the Ten Commandments and checking off the things we have or haven't done is easy. The majority of the population doesn't murder or steal, and most would rush to add they haven't committed adultery. Maybe it's time to take another look.

You shall have no other gods other than God

You shall not make idols

You shall not take the Lord's name in vain

You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy

You shall honor your mother and father

You shall not murder

You shall not commit adultery

You shall not steal

You shall not lie

You shall not covet or desire what doesn't belong to you

There's your list. What can you check off?

It's good to remember Jesus' response to the question about which commandment was the greatest:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39

Do these two and you've covered everything on that list.

Looking at our own sin is hard, but knowing it's the first step to forgiveness should give us hope. If we aren't aware of the things we do that displease God, then we will never mourn.

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