Sin

Words are important to me because they are the key to good communication, which is also very important to me.  Words can be destructive, enlightening, beautiful, grotesque.  Some words have an emotional definition beyond the textbook meaning.  They can make us angry or lift us up.  How can such seemingly small things have so much power?

The word that has been on my mind a lot lately is SIN.  Humor me and take a moment to think and feel what that word means to you.  I think it makes some people angry, guilty, defensive.  Can you define it?  I think most people would agree that whatever sin is, God does not like it.  I also think most people define sin as a verb (things we do).  I'm beginning to think it is a noun.  It is a concept, it is a thing, a condition.  It is our self-destructive nature.  It is what causes us to make bad decisions.  It is also deceptive.  It can seem like a good idea at the time.  But it always leads to destruction.

And that is why God doesn't like it.  Not because we let him down or because he is repulsed by us.  Not because sin is something we need to be punished for, but rather we need a cure, a protection from it.
He hates sin because it hurts us.
I think that's a huge point a lot of people miss.
Such a small word,
with a huge definition,
that can shape entire belief systems,
usually in the wrong way, it seems.