DENIAL

SINS OF THE SAINTS

 

“You [God] deserve honesty from the heart; yes utter sincerity

and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.” (Psalm 51:6, TLB)

 

A doctor friend of mine had a patient who was of a religious persuasion

where the leaders taught (and the members believed) that one

was never sick.

 

This patient had broken her arm rather badly and her husband

and son had to literally drag her to the doctor’s office. Both had to

hold her down while the doctor set her arm and put it in a plaster cast

while all the while she protested, “There’s nothing wrong with my arm!

There’s nothing wrong with my arm!”

 

Six weeks later when she was brought back to the doctor to have

the cast removed, her arm had healed very well so the lady declared,

“I told you so. There was nothing wrong with my arm!”

 

While we may laugh at this family’s predicament, self-deception

and denial are very common faults that most of us are guilty of

at some time. In fact, I believe that denial is possibly one of the

most common sins of the saints! It is also very destructive in that

when we are in denial, we place ourselves outside of God’s

or anybody else’s help.

 

One of the many dangers of denial is that it causes one to deny that

he/she is in denial. But when in denial, neither personal problems

or relational conflicts can ever be resolved. Only as we admit who we are

and what we have done can we ever find resolution for our problems,

healing for hurts, and genuine personal and spiritual growth.

 

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of denial.

Help me always to be honest with myself, with my loved ones,

and above all to be honest with you. Make me real, authentic and

a man/woman of truth. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”