Thank heavens Lent is over, and not just because I can eat dessert again. I recognize the value of some deep reflection on my sins and what leads me to sin. However, too much makes me nervous. I suspect that when Satan can’t stop us from praying, he tempts us to spend all our prayer time on guilt. Then, inevitably, we avoid prayer because it’s so depressing.
Even during Lent, or any time we acknowledge our sinfulness, I think the emphasis should be on Christ. When we contemplate the crucifixion, we can focus on how our sins contributed to Jesus’ suffering, or we can adore him for his willingness to die for us. I think adoration is the healthier response.
Too much guilt makes us less loving. First, we’re so busy being miserable that we have no energy to spare for others. Second, we often try to make everyone else feel guilty too. The most judgmental people I know don’t like themselves very much. Third, we humans generally only notice what we expect to see. If our mind is focused on sin, all we’ll see are sins, in ourselves and in the people around us.
On the other hand, praise and thanksgiving make us happier and kinder. If we start the day considering what a great spouse we have, we get along a lot better. In the light of their good qualities, what does it matter that he never hangs up his pants or she forgot to pay the phone bill? If we are grateful for our job and a car that works, the commute isn’t nearly so maddening.
Guilt often leads to discontent. It doesn’t feel good, so we start blaming our circumstances. If I made more money, I’d be more generous. If I didn’t have to live with my in-laws, I’d be more cheerful. Our sins become someone else’s fault, even God’s fault. However, if we spend even a few minutes a day counting our blessings, we’ll see that God has always blessed us abundantly, and what he has done in the past, he will undoubtedly do again today.
Guilt leads to despair. We no longer try to master our temper or our malice, because we’re sure we’ll just fail again. There’s even a kind of twisted pride in guilt. We’re shocked at our sins as if we are usually perfect. We’re embarrassed to confess the same shabby trespasses over and over. On the other hand, thanksgiving and praise bring hope to the heart. God knows our every misstep, and he loves us anyway. So what do we have to fear?
Praise is truth. It’s really hard to accept, but we were never going to get into heaven on our own merits. None of us has the ability to follow God’s law of love with any consistency. Even on our best days, there’s always some small fault to confess at bedtime. When we praise, though, we let go of useless striving. We relax and enjoy God, knowing he’s got that whole salvation business under control.
The Bible says that the souls in heaven spend most of their time adoring and praising God. (The rest is apparently spent interceding for souls still on earth.) At present, our sinful souls can handle only so much of this. Few of us can pray for longer than an hour, and our own concerns keep edging into our prayers for others. I assume purgatory will burn away that selfishness and self-absorption. Otherwise, heaven will be really boring.
So, if we’re going to spend eternity praising and adoring, shouldn’t we start training now? Happy Easter, praise the Lord.
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI 96720, or e-mail: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
