How long must we pay for our sins?
First we must redefine “Sin” as it’s referenced in the Bible. When Jesus spoke, he referred to the “mistakes” people made, not a sin against God. The language he spoke was Aramaic, the language of the period in that Middle Eastern area of the world. When the Words were translated to the Greek and Latin, the translators messed up. They made a mistake, as many translators do, or they made an intentional error, which gave more power to the Priestly class over the peasants, who were unable to read it for themselves.
At any rate, the question of paying for your mistakes becomes a “worldly” one, rather than a Spiritually charged one. So the question becomes, “How long are you willing to beat yourself up over a mistake?”, rather than an idea of rioting in hell for an eternity.
The point is, in my way of thinking, we have a limited time on this planet. Is it really productive to beat yourself up for something that already happened to you? Whether it is something you did to yourself or something you feel someone else unjustly accused you of, my thought is a resounding “NO!”
I know people who have held onto a grudge for years. This “thing” became their story (of woe.) It became how they identified them self. They became stuck in their story. Their life never changed. They knew why, but the story became their identity. Without their story they were nothing, or so they thought. When they finally let go of their story by way of a repo, a foreclosure and loss of a sizable income, their life changed immensely, as you might expect. It took a short time to pick up the pieces, but with the help of friends, within two years everything started to turn around. Now 10 years later, this person has made an even better life, and is a new person.
Was it easy? Yes and No. Until he let go of the story that kept him from having the life he wanted, it was Hell! Once he let go and surrendered to the possibility of something even greater, his life made an about face and he found himself back on the road to the top. The transition was letting go, and making space for his good to fill the void.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “the world abhors a vacuum.” And, when you make a space for good to flow, your life, it does.
Affirmation: I let go of that which does not serve my highest and best, so the good I deserve can be mine.
~jts