Freedom from Sin

I was watching the show "Hoarders" the other day,which always makes me anxious and sad, but I had an uplifting spiritual insight this time. Hoarders are people who substitute relationships and vulnerability with enormous amounts of stuff. Much of the stuff is useless junk but it holds special value to them. It's kind of like a security blanket.

"The more stuff I pile up, the safer I am (or feel) and the smaller chance I have of getting hurt by someone (mentally, emotionally)" seems to be their unanimous refrain. It's heartbreaking but there is a cure. It's encouraging to see these people taking steps to move past the hoarding phase and reclaim their relationships with family and friends.

To me, the hoarding of stuff seems similar to the storing up of sin and self-desire inside a person. The self-willed, unsanctified person's heart is so full of excuses, lies, doubts, fears that there is no room for Jesus just like there is very little room in a hoarder's heart or home to experience healthy, loving relationships. Each item has special value to a hoarder just like every secret desire, grudge, and lie has special value to the sinful heart. In order for the hoarder to be free, they must completely be rid of the stuff as well as the hoarding compulsion. Organizers and family can help as long as the hoarder willingly participates and makes an effort to be free.

Jesus is more than willing and ready to free anyone from the strife and separateness caused by self will. In order to experience true freedom from sin and joy in the Lord, each person must completely abdicate their self will, ask for Christ's forgiveness, and move forward by complete child-like trust in His ability to save them.

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Let us all move forward in humility, complete trust in Christ's faithfulness to truly set us free from sin and give us the ability to reach out and pull other lost lambs into the fold.