Topic: Grieving Sin
Sometimes I spend too much time online without realizing it and the effect it has on me. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat. About a week ago, I watched a video of a baby in Gaza. The baby had just been pulled out from some wreckage, and they didn’t make a sound. Instead, their eyes were wide and blank while their mouth was hanging open. It took a moment, but I realized the baby was experiencing shell shock. And then, I simply scrolled past it without a thought. Not because it didn’t bother me. Of course it bothered me, but I continued scrolling to try to forget it. It was not the first chilling thing I had seen online after all. I felt compelled to go back though, so I did. After reading the comments I realized we as human beings don’t even notice the negative effects social media has on us. Instead of shock and horror at this innocent baby being caught in the aftermath of war, the majority just wrote it off as reality in third world nations. Nothing can be done, and no thought should really be given other than sympathy.
In our online world we are consistently bombarded by the news and sights of constant death and tragedy. Pew Research and Barna Group have done countless studies relating to this and there is a clear correlation between excessive connectivity and declining mental health, self-worth and happiness. Pew Research also released a study a few years ago that suggests over two-thirds of Americans are worn out by constant bad news. As Christians, we must be careful to avoid becoming desensitized to sin and its consequences lest we become jaded and uncaring to those who need the love of Christ most.
Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to imitate our God and John 11 shows us how Jesus reacted to the intense tragedy of sin. In this passage, Jesus raised Lazarus up from the dead. He knew the end of the story and He knew ahead of time that Lazarus had passed away. When Jesus was confronted with the grief of Mary and the other Jews with her, “he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled” (John 11:33). In verse 35, it simply says “Jesus wept.”, and again in verse 38 it reads “Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb”. Jesus saw the awful realities of sin and the death and pain it causes and our God wept.
Do we grieve sin and it’s consequences like our Lord and Savior, or have we allowed the world and it’s evil to desensitize us? I pray that we are able to disconnect every so often and ask God to keep our hearts softened for those who suffer. I want my heart to break for what breaks God’s heart. When I see the extremes of sin and people entrenched in unimaginable suffering, I do not want to scroll or walk past like I have seen nothing. I want to grieve just like my Savior does.
See you Sunday,
Caleb Hickerson