HOW MUCH DO I HATE SIN?
A good friend of mine and a wise scholar once made the statement that one of the biggest problems in society is parents who don’t hate sin. The apathy toward sin then contributes to the equally sinful and rampant lack of discipline. I remember agreeing wholeheartedly, but thinking that this didn’t apply to me–of course I hate sin! And I moved on.
A few weeks ago, we found ourselves ill-prepared and in a bit of a bind–being hungry and two hours away from our home. We decided it’d be fun to stop at a popular homestyle restaurant that we had never been to as a family. We had been seated, had ordered, and were waiting for our food, when the words, “How much do you hate sin?” was deeply impressed upon my mind.
A little taken aback, I engaged in a short battle inside my head, “What do you mean how much? A lot!” and “I AM spending time with my family” and “At least the music genre isn’t as bad as the other places we could have chosen” followed by, “Other families I know come here all the time…”
Our food came and we began eating. By the time I got past the appetizer and the side salad, and finally to the main course–my heart was softened. With enough time spent there, I started to understand. I put down my ‘sword’ and looked around. The Spirit began to show me. Every single broken principle flooded in at high speed leaving me breathless and appalled at how foolish I was not to notice in the first place.
“See? Look at all the principles you are breaking. Now, how much do you hate sin? Show me. Show them” as I gazed around at my children. Sickened by my carelessness to properly govern even while knowing the correct principles, I finally understood what my friend had been teaching me.
Getting into the car and before the ignition even turned, I promptly asked my kids how that popular place had made them feel and what principles we had broken. They knew! We listed and talked about them for the duration of the drive–discussing how God has already revealed the standard of living and it’s our job to know what that is so we can follow it. We then made a pact. A sort of covenant that we would each go home and repent, and take sin seriously. From then on, through everything we do, we would show God that we hate sin.
My children are young and from an outside perspective it may sound over-the-top to be having these conversations with them, but I truly cannot describe how much it brings our family together in love and unity, compassion towards one another reigns and it moves our family along in a heightened spiritual progression that comes from repenting together and learning the discipline that comes afterward.
God does not reveal a different standard to each person, and we need to be ready to repent when we don’t adhere to His standard with exactness and with soberness. I’ve come to realize that if I truly want my children to hate sin, these conversations are crucial even at such a young age. And the amazing thing is, they get it. They’re hungry for truth! They hunger after repentance! And most importantly, they are excited to be filled and changed by the love and power of the atonement.
Ezra Taft Benson says, “Men changed for Christ will be captained by Christ.” He states that “Men captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. Their will is swallowed up in His will. They do always those things that please the Lord. Not only would they die for the Lord, but more important they want to live for Him. Enter their homes, and the pictures on their walls, the books on their shelves, the music in the air, their words and acts reveal them as Christians. They stand as witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places. They have Christ on their minds, as they look unto Him in every thought. They have Christ in their hearts as their affections are placed on Him forever.”
God has an opinion–even for something such as which restaurant to sit down at. This experience has caused me to evaluate every part of my life. Do I hate sin? Do I hate sin enough that instead of a mere change of behavior or change of course, I’m actually on my knees in sincere remorse and repentance? Do I categorize sins as minor sins or major sins, or is all sin wickedness? Do those around me know how much I hate sin–especially my posterity? And most of all, is my will swallowed up in His will, in order to be captained by our Savior, Jesus Christ?
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