Pet Sins

Whenever people think of sins, the think of the Seven Deadly Sins such as pride, wrath, gluttony, lust, envy, etc... But the word sin in the Bible was translated from the word hamartia that originally meant 'missing the mark'--such as in archery. This meant that anything that was not taking us to where we ought to go was in fact a sin. Imagine basketball. The only way to score a point is to get the basketball through the hoop. No points if you don't make it in. So basically, there is only one way to gain points and win, and plenty to miss or lose. I think this is why the path towards God in the Bible was always defined as the 'strait (note the spelling) and narrow' way. This implies that there are many ways to sin, and only a select few ways towards God.

Of course a lot of people hate this idea. No one likes being told what to do--or in this case, what you can't do. Yet again, if you take things from God's POV (like a parent trying to raise a child right so they end up being decent, productive, and civil human beings), this 'strait and narrow' path makes a whole lot of sense. A parent says, "Don't put your hand on the hot stove." "Don't put that fork in the wall socket." To a 2-year-old, they have no clue what the consequences will be if they disobey. Only that they were told 'no' and they are mad about it. A parent may say, "Don't eat all that candy." or "It is bedtime." Again, a kid will get mad because the candy is sweet and currently they aren't tired. But the parent knows the child will get sick and the child really needs to get rest or the kid will be cranky the next day. Or if the parent says, "Share your toys" and "Don't hit" and "You can't just take that, you have to pay for it", often all the child is hearing is you can't have your way. But the parent is trying to teach that child that the world is not just about him or her...but everyone equally respected. Like children, human beings often have a hard time thinking beyond themselves. Our POV is limited to what we know about the universe. God may give a seemingly arbitrary commandment that we might hate--but it may in fact be beneficial to our future to keep it. I think of that Princess Bride quote "Life is pain. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something."

Let's do one more. A parent might say, "I know reading is hard, but it is important that you keep at it." Or, "Yes, I know it is boring, but you promised to do it. And you must keep your promises."
Often the things God asks of us are inconvenient, and even painful. But that does not mean they are not good for us.

OK. So what does this have to do with Pet Sins?
Well, for starters, I don't know one perfect person alive on planet earth--including, if not especially me. We all have pet sins. Kind of like kids who pick their noses and eat it. It's gross, not good for us, but obviously something keeps tempting them to do it (one kid told me the snot tasted sweet and salty. Ugh). Now, I am a big believer in free will. The devil cannot make you do anything you don't choose to do yourself... at least initially. Addiction starts out by you choosing to give your free will away to a temporary pleasure. Luckily, there are ways to reclaim that free will again through addiction recovery programs and (yes) God.

So, what pet sins do some of us indulge in? I'll do me as an example. If I were guilty of any of the seven deadly sins, I'd say occasionally I am gluttonous. I eat stuff I ought not, just for the taste. I eat more than I ought on those occasions. I know I struggle with pride. I know I can be extremely judgmental at times. And I know I can be selfish. But I think I am most guilty of wrath (this is why I remember those three better than the others, by the way). Like Mark Twain, once I've lost my temper, you can't find it with a dog. Or, in the case of the Incredible Hulk, "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Funnily enough, Twain also said one ought to admit to your sins, so you can commit more of them.
He makes me laugh...

Anyway, these aren't really pet sins, though. Pet sins are sins we keep because we don't want them to be considered sins. These are the sins we excuse as being "merely human nature" or, "That's the way I am" or "they are not as bad as such-an-such a thing". We might even say "You have to die of something" to explain an extremely dangerous habit when clearly we could live to 114 and not die of anything except being tired and old. Pet sins are those sins we enjoy and don't quite want to give up. But in the back of our heads we do have this nagging voice that says they really aren't good for us. Like eating our boogers. Our pet sins also embarrass us. They are the things we might not want to openly admit to doing. In many ways, our pet sins are more dangerous than the Seven Deadly Sins, because these are the hardest to give up.

What boogers are you eating?