Maybe a little depressing

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It seems like it takes years to overcome your sinful inclinations, passions, etc but it seems like it takes one second to thing. A sinful thought - you sinned already. No matter how good you are, you could be better, there is always that little imperfection lurking somewhere. It will be that way til the day I die. Seven acts of charity, cannot make up for one mortal sin. Why is God so harsh?
 
But the sins that take a lifetime to accumulate can be repented and forgiven in a second.

Why is God so merciful and un-picky? Gosh, it’s like He’s got no standards for letting people into Heaven! 🙂

If you want to become more like Christ, you have to work at it. But Jesus is always right there with you, giving you all the help and all the power to change.
 
CRATUS said:
It seems like it takes years to overcome your sinful inclinations, passions, etc but it seems like it takes one second to thing. A sinful thought - you sinned already. No matter how good you are, you could be better, there is always that little imperfection lurking somewhere. It will be that way til the day I die. Seven acts of charity, cannot make up for one mortal sin. Why is God so harsh?
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I know it can seem depressing (:o) but it needn’t.

It’s not a matter of God being harsh. Quite the opposite actually. God is the loving, merciful Father who goes running to meet us when we are still a long way off, as in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

What we often perceive as God’s harshness is really just the consequences of Original Sin. So we can “thank” Adam and Eve for that. 😉

I understand where you are coming from. When I try to think of all my imperfections, I very quickly get overwhelmed. Often, we skim the muck off the surface of our soul only for something else to rise up to replace it.

But God is not out to smite us on technicalities just for His own amusement. He’s really not. It is hopeless and depressing without the gift of His mercy. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t really need God much at all. We’d be able to manage just fine on our own. But, alas, we do need God. We are sinners in need of mercy. That will always be true, no matter how holy we may become or how far along we may progress in our spiritual walk.

That knowledge can really be a freeing source of joy. We don’t need to have it all together. We should expect to mess up. But we can also expect that the Creator of everything is always there to help us along and to forgive us. Thank God for that.
 
CRATUS said:
It seems like it takes years to overcome your sinful inclinations, passions, etc but it seems like it takes one second to thing. A sinful thought - you sinned already. No matter how good you are, you could be better, there is always that little imperfection lurking somewhere. It will be that way til the day I die. Seven acts of charity, cannot make up for one mortal sin. Why is God so harsh?
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Harsh? Jesus DIED for your sins so you could have the opportunity to live forever with Him in heaven. All of the saints have had trials, set backs and disappointments, don’t beat yourself up; thanks to original Sin, mankind will always have the struggle to do the right thing and sin no more; never give up trying! God’s abundant grace will see you through to the end.
 
After following many of your threads…
Please…please try to get out of the habit of viewing God as someone who is waiting to slap you with a flyswatter.

Start seeing Him as your loving Father. You’ll be much happier, and you’ll begin to understand His plan for you in a much better light.

Everyone has trials, problems, good days, bad days. It’s how we RESPOND that matters. God is eternal love. It’s we humans that pick everything apart and want someone to blame for our state of mind. If you want to change, make up your mind to change.
Yes. It’s that’s simple.
Be joyful. Focus on good. Focus on blessings, and being a blessing.
God will smile on you, and you will feel it. But you’ve got to get yourself and your negative thoughts out of the way.

Here’s a good reflection. Take a few minutes to read it, it’s short.
stdominicgrace.wordpress.com/

God bless you. truly.
 
It takes discipline and effort even simply to exert CONTROL over your passions… let alone to hate them, or reject them completely.

But, as a scholar of sin and passion, I can tell you that unhinged desire is the door for self-destruction. Excess brings only pain, in the long run.
So, don’t give up. Train your self control, strenghten your willpower.
 
CRATUS said:
It seems like it takes years to overcome your sinful inclinations, passions, etc but it seems like it takes one second to thing. A sinful thought - you sinned already. No matter how good you are, you could be better, there is always that little imperfection lurking somewhere. It will be that way til the day I die. Seven acts of charity, cannot make up for one mortal sin. Why is God so harsh?
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I like Mintaka’s post and would add- look at all the way’s our Lord has given us to be free of our sin. Baptism. Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Sacrament of Reconciliation. These come immediately to mind, and I only became a Catholic at Easter this year. Not to mention He pours out his Grave upon us to help us become less sinful, if we ask Him to.
 
Be aware that temptations are not sins. It is when we entertain the thoughts and welcome them that they become sinful.
 
pianistclare said:
After following many of your threads…
Please…please try to get out of the habit of viewing God as someone who is waiting to slap you with a flyswatter.

Start seeing Him as your loving Father. You’ll be much happier, and you’ll begin to understand His plan for you in a much better light.

Everyone has trials, problems, good days, bad days. It’s how we RESPOND that matters. God is eternal love. It’s we humans that pick everything apart and want someone to blame for our state of mind. If you want to change, make up your mind to change.
Yes. It’s that’s simple.
Be joyful. Focus on good. Focus on blessings, and being a blessing.
God will smile on you, and you will feel it. But you’ve got to get yourself and your negative thoughts out of the way.

Here’s a good reflection. Take a few minutes to read it, it’s short.
stdominicgrace.wordpress.com/

God bless you. truly.
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You are right. Thanks for your advice.
 
Dorothy said:
Be aware that temptations are not sins. It is when we entertain the thoughts and welcome them that they become sinful.
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If every temptation was a sin, then Jesus would have sinned. Read Hebrews 4:15.

Somewhere (wish I could remember where) I read that where there is no temptation, there is no virtue.
 
CRATUS said:
You are right. Thanks for your advice.
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You’re so welcome. I’m sure lots of people feel the same way. I would hope they get a glimmer of hope or peace from some of this.
Peace friend! 🙂
 
I try not to beat myself up - it’s another chance to grow and learn. My problem growing up was this expectation that I couldn’t achieve. It took me a long time to learn that God has a reason for us not being perfect.

I think the trying, failing, repenting, and making reparations are what keeps drawing me closer to God. For that, I am grateful!
 
Bonnie said:
Somewhere (wish I could remember where) I read that where there is no temptation, there is no virtue.
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Found at least one source! There could be others who said similar things.

Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.
–Pope St. Leo the Great
 
Bonnie said:
If every temptation was a sin, then Jesus would have sinned. Read Hebrews 4:15.

Somewhere (wish I could remember where) I read that where there is no temptation, there is no virtue.
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Yes! We gain spiritual muscle when we resist temptation with the Lord’s grace.
 
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