We are ravenous beings. We embody bottomless cravings that constantly paw at the next attractive thing. Our appetites are as strong as death, Proverbs 27:20 tells us. We are always on the move for the next thing that can satisfy and slake our restless thirst. This endless pull is the engine of gluttony. It propels our souls ever toward excess.
Over the past couple of weeks, since A&E put Duck Dynasty’s patriarch on hiatus for comments he had made regarding his religious beliefs and his personal experiences growing up, I got involved in a discussion on another blog. One of the commenters there was determined to find out if I found other sins as reprehensible as homosexuality.
For the record, I do. And I pointed to this blog to corroborate that.
I guess my primary concern over the years has been tendency of people to try to force others into their way of thinking. That has been presented over and over, dealing with many different issues, here on this blog. I spent about a year dealing with the “modesty” issue as presented by patriarchal types. During that year, I was accused by many of the people opposing my way of thinking as being to willing to allow for improper behavior and not standing against it.
With this recent Phil Robertson flap, I have been accused of being arrogant in my stand against sin.
But my position has been the same thoughout—that no one should be forcing another person into their own mold. The patriarchy tries to force their preferences in dress on young women. GLAAD tries to force those who disagree with homosexual marriage to accept it unconditionally. In both cases, I have opposed the use of force.
a few months ago
But the recent conversation has made me consider one of the items targeted by a few of the other commenters in the forum I was frequenting this past week—the sin of gluttony. Those of you who know me are aware that I have had a problem with this particular sin all of my life. I am overweight and have cycled through the ups and downs of weight gain and loss all my life. Since I have been an adult I have never reached a weight considered proper by the medical community.
I lifted the quote at the top of this blog post from an outstanding article that looks at the sin of gluttony and considers that gluttony is not just the way we view food, but the way we reach for excess in all areas of our lives. This is something I definitely need to consider as I head forward into the New Year.
Read “The Socially Acceptable Sin” from Relevant magazine.
Rich, I think we like to rank sins so our pet sins seem less evil than others. It's one way of continuing to see ourselves through denial and not how unrighteous we actually are. Gluttony, pride, etc are rarely discussed. Kind of like the Pharisee in church - thank you, God, that I'm not like that tax collector over there. Yet, like you point out, we are all sinful. It is only through Jesus and His sacrifice that any of us can stand before God. Thanks for this article!
ReplyDelete