Having
observed news reporters over the years—that they can exaggerate and
sensationalize their reports—has made me very cynical about believing them. I
have seen individuals and groups villainized when the real situation is much
less devious—usually just imperfect nature coupled with poor judgment.
My mention
of a particular incident below is not the focus of the article. It is merely
fodder for a much broader point—that none of us are immune from making wrong
choices. Some give up and give in easier than others. Ultimately we are all
responsible for safeguarding our own minds and hearts. Constant determination
is needed.
Breaking
in the news in the past week was a story about a female “escort” (prostitute) that
killed
a Google executive by way of a lethal injection of heroin. Her actions,
recorded by security video, appeared deliberate and without any sense of compassion—if
you believe the news reports. (The executive, a married man with family, was obviously
no angel himself.) While this incident seems horrendous on its own rights, it
was something this woman wrote that really caught my attention. Although guilty
of using illegal drugs, involved in illegal activity (prostitution) and unethical
conduct (amidst a long list of other things), she said that her conscience was
clear. (The report wasn’t clear if she wrote this before or after killing the
Google exec.)
Seared: That account reminded me of what
happens when a person burns their skin so that the nerves in the area are
completely desensitized, incapable of the feeling. Although such a person might
openly and readily admit that they can’t feel, it is never something that they
would boast about. Because of the danger of inadvertently injuring the burned
area, most are extra careful about having the burned area come in contact with
objects they cannot feel.
Seared
flesh well illustrates what the Bible refers to as a seared conscience.
When a conscience is that badly damaged, it can no longer warn a person who is
about to do something wrong or is actively engaging in something that would
endanger their relationship with God. In the book of Romans, chapter 2 verse
15, we read that people’s consciences can either accuse them or, if damaged, even excuse them, freeing the
person from feelings of guilt. How does this searing damage take place? Turning
to Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he explains that promoting or accepting lies
is one thing that damages the conscience. It can be so severe that the
conscience is spoken of as being burned with a branding iron.
Indeed,
from the way the news source tells the story, it appears this is what happened
to the woman. But she is not alone. There are others, both men and women, whose
whole heart has become so hardened through the lies their lives are wrapped in,
that nothing phases them. (I do not intend to over simplify this. Obviously
many intertwined psychological and social influences cause people to become
hardened and uncaring. I am focusing on one main reason the scriptures give to
explain how a conscience becomes seared.)
Is there
any hope for such people? Can they re-sensitize their consciences to become
functional enough to warn them of dangerous conduct that would threaten their
relationship with God? Thankfully the answer is yes. The Bible itself contains
examples of such people.
Repairing the Damage: Let’s hit on some highlights on how
this repair can take place. First, the person has to become aware of their “spiritual need.” I’ve
seen this realization in people when they hit “rock bottom” in their lives.
They realize what a mess they have made. Next, they make efforts to fill that
need by learning what God wants of
them. Once they gain not only a knowledge but an appreciation, they
determine to correct the
things that are misaligned with God’s standards. When this is done, truly repentant
ones may begin to experience certain “seasons of refreshing” from God that will
encourage them to continue moving forward. All the while, each step of the way,
each effort they make, is slowly repairing their damaged conscience.
But this
effort cannot be for mere selfish benefit. The whole reason for repairing the
conscience is related to repairing our relationship with God. So the next step,
as mentioned in Acts
2:38, is a lifelong dedication to God through water baptism. (If you were baptized
as a child, that is not the baptism that Jesus or his early followers
promoted.)
Repaired Conscience At Last? By this time the conscience has definitely
become active and useful again. However, the story still doesn’t end there. All
of us are still imperfect. We all struggle with wrong and weak tendencies—everyday.
So the “trick” to maintaining a strong healthy conscience, if you want to call
it a trick, is to daily keep our focus on maintaining, strengthening, and
deepening our love for God and neighbor. Two vitally invigorating ways we can
do that is first by daily reading the Bible and second, by surrounding
ourselves with others that are determined to do what is right.
So seared
flesh is both bad and dangerous. But even worse is a conscience that is so
seared that even illegal activity is excused in a person’s mind. Repairing and
revitalizing a seared conscience is possible for those that want it bad enough.
---
I apologize
for two things: First that this article was so long. Second that this article
wasn’t long enough. On the one hand, I try to keep my articles as short as
possible. Why? Because reading long articles really frustrates me, especially
when I sense the writer is not getting to the point and just beating around the
bush with filler material. So I try not to put my readers through that excruciating
pain. On the other hand, I feel my reasoning and proofs here need to be considerably
expanded. From your (the reader’s) perspective, if you were to charge me for
making unsubstantiated generalizations, I’d completely understand. My only
defense is that I was trying to balance article length and substance. I welcome
you to challenge me and ask questions. (Please be kind, though. My chemo
treatments have admittedly taken their toll on my brain. My original main goal
in starting this blog was to keep my mind active and provide an outlet for
creative expression. I never expected to get the readership that I have.)
