Most inappropriate activity, dysfunctional behavior, and sin are simply symptoms of a deeper illness. They are waves upon the surface that foment from a turbulent sea below. What is this sickness that infects the human race? Most Christians attribute this to our fallen nature that we inherit as children of Adam and his “original sin.” “It is Adam and Eve’s fault,” they say. “It is simply due to our total depravity that we inherited from our original parents. All of our sin comes from our true fallen nature, that only God can root out of us and replace with something better from God.” Yet, we all instinctively know that this is not completely true. We know that it is a lie to say, “The devil made me do it.” We are not helpless victims or puppets on a string. We recognize that we play a role in the decisions we make and the actions we take. Granted, at times we feel compelled to do certain things and even lose control, but we still know that we were the ones who did the deed and feel the burden of our conscience. Our conscience is not some phantom that haunts us, but it is the voice of God calling us to find our true identity as a child of God with divine potential.
The illness is our separation from God and his love. This separation creates a void and internal turmoil in our being that erupts in bad behavior. The cure is not to put Band-Aids on the symptoms, but to treat the cause of the disease, our separation from God. As we open our heart and seek love, light, truth and basic goodness, we allow God to lift us up to become unified with him. His love heals our soul and we lose our desire to sin that separates us from him. His love draws us up to him, and through this process He converts us to become more like Him. Love is a unifying force that applies in heaven as well as in our homes. Let’s open our hearts to feel more love in our lives. We can start by sharing love, and we will be surprised how much it will multiply and return to bless us with joy and peace.
