I have a pair of shoes I’ve had for most of my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say that. I got them during the summer of either 1995 or 1996, so they are almost 30 years old. The traction is pretty much completely gone. Some threads are coming out of the sides of the shoes. Sometimes, they feel a bit lopsided when I walk. Last summer, I realized that they really aren’t as comfortable as they once were. Of course, that’s to be expected. I’ve literally worn these shoes hundreds, if not thousands of times over the last almost 30 years. Yet, I hesitate to get rid of them because there’s something familiar and comforting about these shoes. I’ve had them for so long that it would feel weird to not have them anymore.
Shoes Aren’t the Only Thing We Hesitate to Get Rid Of
We all have things in our lives that we’ve held onto a bit too long. Some, like these shoes, are harmless, or at least mostly harmless. Unfortunately, for many of us, one of the things we’ve held onto a bit too long is our favorite sin/s. They’ve become something familiar, something while it might not be comfortable, it’s been around so long that we’re not sure what we’d do without it. Because of that, we might say, “I’ll get rid of it next week,” “Let me enjoy it just one more time,” or “I’ll give it up at the end of the season.” We continue to procrastinate getting rid of the sin.
It’s Becoming More and More Dangerous
Unfortunately, like the traction (or rather lack of traction) on my shoes, the longer we hold onto these sins, the more dangerous they become for us. While my shoes may cause me to slip and fall physically, the sins that I continue to hold onto may cause me to slip and fall spiritually, something with eternal consequences.
What’s the Solution?
Of course, the solution is easier said than done. Throw them out. Get rid of them. Yet, often we’re not quite ready for that. We’d rather just put them in a bag in the back of the closet, maybe not interacting with that sin for a while but never fully committed to getting rid of it permanently. I do something similar with these shoes. Since they’re sandals, they spend the whole winter in my closet. I don’t wear them at all. I don’t miss them when the weather is cold. Then come summer, they come out again. I want them. I need them. What would I do for the whole summer without them?
The First Step is Recognizing That the Sin’s Still Hiding Out in Your Closet
I think in many ways, that’s how we feel about some of our “favorite sins.” I’ll admit it. One of my “favorite sins” is judging other people a bit too harshly. I know that I’m a bit of a hypocrite because I hate when other people judge me too harshly. I can do well for a while of at least catching myself before I unfairly judge someone. Then I’ll fall into the trap of judging someone unfairly yet again.
Sometimes, I don’t even realize that I’m doing that until I realize how wrong my judgment was initially. That happened recently. There is this lady in my ward. For some reason, I had it in my head that she was a little eccentric and that she wasn’t someone that I could relate to at all. A few weeks ago, she gave a talk in sacrament. As she was talking, everything that she said made sense, and I realized that she seemed like a nice person. I still haven’t had an actual conversation with her, but I realized that my initial judgment of her is likely a bit off and not in a good way on my part.
Join Me in a Commit to Throw out the Shoes (AKA Sin)
From here on out, I am going to commit to at least try a little harder to be less harsh in my judgments of people, especially people who I hardly know. I know that there will be moments when I realize that I haven’t quite thrown out my harsh judgment sin. I hope, though, that as I continue to try, I may soon find that the sin is getting closer and closer to the trash can. Maybe, a year or two from now, I’ll have no desire to put back on the shoes of harsh judgment. I encourage you to commit to letting go of one of your favorite sins, or at least start with doing a little better with it.
