By Elizabeth Crawford
There was no spot in me by sin untainted;
Sick with sin’s poison, all my heart had fainted;
My heavy guilt to hell had well-nigh brought me,
Such woe it wrought me.
(LSB 439, stz. 6)
As we move into this second week of Lent, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable to think about the pressing weight of our sins. Lent is a time of prayerful repentance, but sometimes we can be overwhelmed with the thought that we are called to repent of our sins. All of them. Including the sins we would much rather forget and never dwell on again.
It’s also somewhat terrifying to think about the fact that God already knows all of our sins, even those we think we’ve kept hidden very well. One such sin is addiction. People may turn to their addictions to stop their pain, hide from their memories, or find relief after a hard day. Whether it’s addiction to technology, pornography, substances, or anything else, addiction steals our attention from the true reliever of pain, Jesus Christ.
Using technology or having a glass of wine is not a bad thing in and of itself, but if taken too far, these methods of escape can quickly take over our entire life. Addiction can turn our hearts away from our true God and leave us chasing earthly gods instead.
But there is still hope, even when facing the sin of addiction.
Stanza 10 of LSB 439 puts it this way: “Yet unrequited, Lord, I would not leave Thee; I will renounce whate’er doth vex or grieve Thee And quench with thoughts of Thee and prayers most lowly All fires unholy.” This verse reassures us that even though addiction and other sins may threaten to take over our life, through prayer, repentance, and God’s work in our lives to strengthen and preserve us through His gifts of word and sacrament. We can quench the unholy fires of temptation. Even more, we are not alone in our struggles; Christ is with us. He loves His children and will never leave them.
I pray that you can find peace in the nearness of Christ during this penitential Lenten season, always remembering that you are deeply loved by Christ. No sin is unforgiveable, and you are never alone. And, as stanza 15 reminds us, we have hope that these trails will come to an end. We have hope now and hope in the final resurrection of our bodies on the Last Day.
And when, dear Lord, before Thy throne in heaven
To me the crown of joy at last is given,
Where sweetest hymns Thy saints forever raise Thee,
I, too, shall praise Thee.
(LSB 439, stz. 15)
Soli Deo Gloria, Amen.
Elizabeth Crawford is a sophomore at Concordia University, Nebraska, where she is double majoring in elementary education and music. She is an active member of Bulldogs4Life, the Y4Life team on campus. She dreams of one day serving as a Lutheran Kindergarten teacher and professional musician.
All hymn texts taken from the Lutheran Service Book (2006).