“For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil ” (Romans 7:19, NIV).
Human nature lends itself to seeking justification and victimization. We say we were either right to do something or we couldn’t help it because of… our past, your past, peer pressure, or my personal favorite, “I am the product of society.”
When speaking to inmates over the years, I find a good percentage with difficult backgrounds of abuse, parental loss, and poverty. But on the other hand, I have found many who had relatively charmed upbringings. Certainly, many factors affect our decision-making. We don’t have to have a troubled youth to make a bad decision. We’ve all heard stories of devoted church secretaries stealing money or successful business people exploiting their help.
But regardless of background, personal history, education, or even religion, whether or not we sin comes down to a decision. We make a choice that veers us off the right path. Once we are on that path, it becomes easier to repeat that choice. Soon, the wrong choice doesn’t even seem like a choice anymore. It’s what we do. We’re human. We’re sinners. Whether we are church leaders, teachers, firemen, or inmates.
How to stop the vicious cycle of sin is as simple as changing the choices. It starts with just one. If one time we can stop and think about it, maybe we can make a better choice. It sounds simple, but once you are in a cycle, things speed up and get significantly harder.
Poverty cycles seem so simple to break. Get a better job… but I can’t without a college degree. Get a college degree… but I’m a high school dropout. Get a GED… but I would have to leave my current job to go to school. So, leave your job… the kids are hungry. Let your wife work while you go to school… who watches the children? And so on. Simple choices… difficult to execute.
One prisoner I discussed this with insisted it is more difficult for inmates to stop the vicious cycle of sin. He claimed it is much simpler for a free person to change a decision pattern and get back on the right track. “Really?” I said. “Then how did you all first get in here?”
I wish there was a simpler way to tell inmates how to stop the vicious cycle of sin. But it takes a tough choice- the choice to follow Jesus’ teachings and do what is right. Whether that means saying no to illegal activity, drugs, improper sex, or taking a spoonful of potatoes from another plate, you have to slow the reflexes and think for a minute.
What would Jesus do? Would he cheat on a wife? Would he take what wasn’t his? Would he be mean and hurtful to others? No… and that is how you know doing so is wrong. All it takes is to walk away a few times and the right decision becomes the habit our bad decisions used to be.
If peer pressure is a factor, then those peers are not friends. Walk away. Be honest. You don’t want to repeat bad habits. Don’t show up where trouble is bound to brew. Stand up for victims. Do what Jesus would do until you find yourself in a vicious cycle of doing good.
Jesus is in your heart. You can do anything.