Q&A with a Sinner: Is It Good?

Part 1: What I Hate About You

Is it good to be purposeful with every action?

In the beginning, I simply thought, “I want to live with the purpose God gave me!”

What happened in the end?

Someone told me, “You know what I hate about you? I hate that everything you do needs to have a purpose. You always need a reason to do every little action.”

What reflections did you have?

I had to ask myself, “Why am I doing these actions?”

And?

I had to admit that I was doing this to justify myself.

Where is God in all this?

The Father is purposeful in lavishing love upon His creation. That’s good.

Part 2: The House of Sand

Is it good to do what a godly person would do?

In the beginning, I simply thought, “I want to do what Jesus would do!”

What happened in the end?

I believed godliness to be a means of gain, a persona I had to build and uphold to keep my house of sand from crumbling. I showed my faith to bask in affirmation from others without accepting where I was truly at.

What reflections did you have?

I had to ask myself, “Why am I trying so hard to emulate the perceived ‘godly’ person?”

And?

I had to admit that I was creating my own image of what a godly person would do and chased after that.

Where is God in all this?

The Son lived a self-sacrificial life in obedience to chase after the Father. That’s good.

Part 3: A Vine and Two Eagles

Is it good to have a growth mindset?

In the beginning, I simply thought, “I want to grow as a vine that abides in Christ!”

What happened in the end?

Just as we repeat the footsteps of the Israelites, I was the wandering vine*: I thought that growth always means progress.

What reflections did you have?

I had to ask myself, “Why am I seeking to grow?”

And?

I had to admit that I sought my comfort and security in the motions of making progress as a Christian.

Where is God in all this?

The Holy Spirit grows us to bear good fruit for our Vinedresser. That’s good.

*Ezekiel 17 contains a parable about a vine and two eagles. In this parable, a great eagle represents Babylon and another eagle symbolizes Egypt. The vine refers to the kingdom of Judah. The chapter describes how the vine was planted by the Babylon eagle in a bountiful place but foolishly stretched out its roots toward the eagle of Egypt. The stretching roots represent the Judeans' allegiance with Egypt in opposition to Babylon. This was in direct rebellion with God’s command to settle down and prosper in Babylon.