Subtle sins.

We had a great discussion in our small group this week about irritability, impatience and anger. Anyone feel their toes being stepped on as much as I did? 
It's funny isn't it....how easy we justify and rationalize certain sins in our life. But if this person just wouldn't do that? If they just wouldn't say things like that? 
We discussed some important truth.

We are responsible for our own responses.

Doesn't matter what someone else says or does to us. We choose how we respond every single time. And if you're like me, a lot of the time you probably choose wrongly. 
Then try and justify it by covering it with excuses to make myself feel better. Something I really need to work on. 

We've been working through the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, and in case you didn't pick up on this already it is not for the fainthearted. It will step on your toes like never before and convict you of some serious ugly in your heart which you had refused to acknowledge before. Things you may not have been aware you were holding onto, things which have been in your life for years and really they have been causing some serious damage. 

But its all covered with grace. And reassurance that without Him, we can't even begin to work on the ugly. We just can't. But through much prayer and surrounding ourselves with truth, we can begin to graciously change our responses and line them up to far better character qualities, those showcased in Jesus. 

Its a tough work, I tell ya. This maturity thing. And as one of our church leaders shared this past Sunday, something we are never finished in this side of heaven. The marker just keeps moving forward as we change and grow. I feel the more I grow and learn, the more ugly I see in my life. 

Good thing our God has a lot of grace for us, huh?

I look forward to the day when I don't have to ugly cry over sin anymore. 
Won't heaven be beautiful!!!