SOMETHING OTHER THAN GOD

"Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." - C. S. Lewis

I have long maintained that every sin we commit starts as a search to satisfy some legitimate need or desire. 

For example:

• We want to be loved.
• We want to be valued.
• We want to have influence. 
• We want protection and security.
• We want relief from pain and fear.

But then our search to meet these legitimate goals takes us to all the wrong places.

So we gossip to influence others, we lie to protect ourselves, and we deaden our pain with endless entertainment or chemical substances.

If we truly recognize this in ourselves - that our sins are an attempt to fill valid needs - it makes it easier to change bad patterns of behavior. "What am I really after here?" can be a powerful question for redirecting our own behavior.

If we truly recognize this in others - that their sins are attempts to fill their own valid needs - I believe it makes us more sympathetic. Less judgmental. Perhaps we can even be instrumental in helping them find legitimate fulfillment!