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Today I had a Church experience that made me feel uncomfortable.
Today I had a Church experience that made me feel uncomfortable.
Sometimes Churches will hand out a piece of paper or card, tell you to write down any sin that is getting between you and God and then, leave it at the Alter, Nail it to a Cross, or Burn it. The idea is to repent of your sin and leave it.
I was never put into a situation where I felt forced, or required to do something like this before. At youth group I've done stuff like this, and felt fine about it. But this time the preacher required everyone to do it.
I sat there and stared at my little card. And then I prayed.. Even after I prayed I felt unsure of what I should write on my little card. In fact I didn't even have a pen to pencil to write with, so I waited until we bowed our heads to pray again so that I could reach across my dad, to get the pen from the pew. Then I tried to write "Jealousy" My dumb pen wouldn't even write.
But I really was confused about I should write down.
The first thing that popped into my head was Lust
Then it was Jealousy.
And then it was Envy.
I think some of you guys already know that I have confessed these three before. In fact if your someone that has chatted with me for several years you probably already heard me talk about these issues before. If you were God you would know that I have talked about these issues almost every time I pray.
None of these three are sins that I even like to feel. But each has a different reason for troubling me. I don't believe in the idea that you can just leave every kind of sin there and it will never trouble you again... I think some things you just haft to deal with on a daily basis. It is like in Scripture where it says you must die to sin daily. (I was just googling this I can't seem to locate the exact scripture I'm looking for.)
Anyways I just wanted to get this off my chest.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on
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What was the suggestion of the Pastor/Preacher? What did he want you to do after writing it down?
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Permalink Reply by Seek on
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Scribe, what they do is just have you write down something that you have trouble with, whether it is worry, lust, fear, adultery, whatever...small sin, large sin, burden, doesn't matter. But the idea is that everyone goes up with their card, takes a thumbtack or nail and hammer that's provided and nails it onto the wooden cross then walks back to their seat. It's symbolic of giving that sin to Christ. You can even nail it backwards so that no one is seeing what you have written, but you are to leave it at the cross and get rid of it. If as in my church, they collect the cards and the elders will pray over them afterwards. There are no names to associate them with so it's not something that is to bring shame, but a sense freedom. And the prayer of the elders is to solidify it, to call on God to help remove these sins from those who left them there.
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Our church has done this. The idea is that you hand this to Christ and don't pick it back up. If it COMES back, you hand it to Him again. I've visualized myself taking something before Jesus sitting on the throne, handing it to Him and walking away. Like carrying a heavy sack that has written on it burdens, or worry, or whatever it is that weighs you down. It's an exercise that doesn't magically change you. But practiced often enough, like reading scripture, it can get down into the very heart of you and change will gradually come.
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Are you saying, what if you didn't have any sins? LOL Think that will fly?
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Well...since we know if we claim to have no sin then the truth is not in us. And if the truth isn't in us then we're liars. And lying is a sin...sooooooo. LOL
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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So, I can't wake up, get ready, drive to church & have zero sin? Not like I do a whole lot wrong.
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Well they weren't asking to write only your sins of the last hour or two but any sins you've struggled with. We all have something we struggle with inwardly. Whether we're worried about something in our lives or haven't spent the time with God we should have been...anything one wants to overcome or do better at is the goal.
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So, the discomfort you felt was not about the church or the program. It was about the judgment you feared from your dad. Or, perhaps the judgment you have against yourself that you may not measure up to your dad, in your eyes or his. This is a common mistake we men can make; especially if we have dominant strong willed fathers. We fear their judgment and disapproval and we can equate their judgment with our Father in Heaven.
I will tell you something: for years, I measured God against my dad. That is that I estimated that my Father-God would forsake me the way my earthly father had. Finally, after years of struggle in my faith, I clearly heard God speak to me and say "stop making an idol out of your father. I am not like him." I had never wept as an adult the way that I did that day. And I vowed to take God at His word and trust Him to do what He says He will do.
The truth is that it would be freeing for your father to see you confess weakness, unabashedly. He may feel he has to keep up a pretense to impress you. If you will just ignore his presence and do what you hear God speaking to you, it will give you a new level of trust and hope in your Heavenly Father's approval.
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I see. But, perhaps he needs to know you don't see it as stupid. I'm kinda like your dad - I don't go for "crowd activities" very readily. But, I know it can be freeing to put something down at the altar and leave it for God to deal with .
There's no shame in it. Only shame in trying to bear our burdens without Jesus.
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