It’s easy to become desensitized. We become less sensitive to things in a very short period of time.
The more often you drink caffeine, the less effect it has on you.
The more often you eat out, the less special it becomes.
Drive the same route to work every day, and you can almost get there with your eyes closed.
Laura and I watched a movie with some friends last night. It’s not one I’m all that proud that we saw (though I did enjoy being with good friends). The language was absolutely pitiful. I think I heard the “f” word more in that movie than I have in my entire life. There was more coarse talk in that movie than my grandparents have heard in their lifetime. Seriously. It was embarassingly crude. At first, my sensors were turned up really high. It’s as if every curse word stood out like a sore thumb, and every lewd statement made the screen flash “red alert” to my ears. But by the end of the movie, I could almost look past those words. Not that I would excuse them, but after over 2 hours of it, I had become desensitized. I almost didn’t even hear the foul language, looking past it to see the storyline and character development.
Isn’t it the same way with sin? The more we give in to sin, the more it feels normal? The more it begins to feel like a natural part of life. “This is just who I am…” “This is how God created me…” “I can’t help what I do…” “It just feels right…” We easily fall into the trap of being desensitized to sin.
We need to wake up. God is doing miraculous things around us, through us, and for us each and every day. He gives us life. He makes the wind blow. He works salvation. And He wants what’s best for you (well…He wants what’s best for Him (see Isaiah 43:7), which is what is best for us).
Do you hate your sin, or do you find yourself gravitating towards it time and time again? Maybe you need a change of scenery. Maybe you need to spend more time with the Lord and less watching TV. Maybe you need to spend time building community with others instead of returning again to your vomit (sorry, that was a bit explicit…but that’s what Proverbs says).
I join you in this fight. I’m so easily led astray. I’m too easily desensitized.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. -Romans 13:11-12
