“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

We don’t know how long Adam and Eve walked through the Garden of Eden before sin entered their hearts. We do know that when they disobeyed God, they were immediately cursed with guilt. Being flawed means that because of that disobedience, mankind was now doomed to a life of shame and defectivity. Sin entered the creation of God taking away the image of perfection and replacing it with a soul that was damaged, infected and blemished.

With that distance placed between us and God, there is no question that we try to hide our sins. If we were to lay out everything that haunted us from the past, there would be no one who’d want to associate with us. In addition, our relationship with our God has become dysfunctional. So, what are we to do? We can try to forget those sins and change our behavior, only to fail again. We can hide our past discretions but the fear of someone finding out becomes like a dripping faucet – constantly and relentlessly reminding us that we’re flawed. We might try to numb those feelings of guilt by taking drugs or imbibing in alcohol. Unfortunately, all those things are simply masking the problem. No number of lies can change the facts.

Take heart! Even though our sins darken our minds and souls, God made it possible to have a perfect relationship with Him. Instead of our works and good deeds, which are worthless in His sight, He sent His only begotten Son to live among humanity with a sinless soul. He would teach the people, heal them, revive them, encourage them and promise a future in eternity. This perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, died for all people – even sinners like you and me. When we humbly approach Him and repent of our wrongdoing, He forgives our sins. Grace is unconditional. There is nothing we can do except lay it all out before God. He has the solution. He alone can forgive our past and He will give us a future with Him, even when we sin again and again and again.

Yes, as long as we dwell on this planet, our hearts will continue to sin. Jesus died once for all people and all sin, but it is our responsibility to ask God to create a new life within us. With Him, we can change our ways, repent, confess and repeat. With gratitude for all He’s done for us, we can share that promise of forgiveness with others who have fallen into the pit of despair.