Secret Sin

Today’s message was written by guest pastor, Rev. Tasha Blackburn.

The shortest song we have in the Bible is often labeled a “song of quiet trust” or something like that. It is Psalm 131 and the first half goes like this: “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” That’s it. That’s the first half of this very short song. And, yes, there are elements here that seem like “quiet trust” but there also may be elements of a terrible sin here as well.

We spend a lot of time talking about the sin of pride. Which makes sense. Many of us struggle with that particular problem. But we rarely, if ever, spend time talking about its opposite: the sin of humiliation. Please notice, I did not say “humility.” Humility is a good thing. It is a heart that is in the right place with God and with neighbor. But humiliation is something different. It is a sin and, sadly, some of us suffer under its weight.

Humiliation is the sin of believing you are worthless, that you do not deserve love, that your heart doesn’t deserve to be lifted up, your head does not deserve to be raised, that you are not worthy of any great or marvelous thing. It is a terrible thing to live under and it is a sin because each of us is created by God, you are created by God. Which means you are worthy of the space you take up. You are worthy of joy. You are worthy of great and marvelous things. 

If you don’t believe you are, that is not wisdom whispering in your ear; it is sin. It needs to be turned away from, disbelieved. Because God in Jesus Christ promises you can become a new creation. That old life, that old self who lived with humiliation, can be gone. A new life is waiting for you. Perhaps this shortest of songs can be your first step toward that promise.

Let’s pray: Lord, sin clings to me so closely. It is tricky and likes to pretend it is not sin. Help me to recognize the sin I live under, whether it be pride or humiliation. And help me to lay it before you, to let you carry it, so I can live the abundant life you offer. Amen.