Justifying

One of my biggest habits is justifying bad behavior. My justification comes in two varieties.

1. Variety Number One: "Oh, it's not really a sin." 

"It's not really that bad to play video games for seven hours!"
"It's not really against the commandments to overeat!"
"It's not really a sin to ____________."

Variety Number One Justification occurs when you do something you aren't proud of. It's not something Jesus would do, but it's not necessarily a hallmark of devilry either. And so we spray paint it.

My seminary teacher used to use an analogy with rotten bananas. "Even if you spray paint them yellow," he would say, "they'll still make you sick."

This reminds me of this great quote from the talk Why Am I Running? 

We cannot sow the seeds of slothfulness and poor effort and expect to receive the blessings of dedication and diligent effort. Each day of our life, through the choices we make, we determine whether we will augment the building of our eternal dwelling with Heavenly Father or whether we will slide along a path which deprives us of eternal blessings. 

The truth is, if you know better, it's a sin. Every time you surrender to the natural man and do the easier wrong instead of the harder right, you distance yourself from the Father.

2. Variety Number Two: "Oh, well I was _________." 

This can occur for smaller categories of transgressions when you do something you're really not proud of. But it is also handy when you do something positively bad. There's no way to paint the banana yellow, so you search for extenuating circumstances.

"Oh, well I was tired."
"I was hungry."
"I was half-asleep."
"It was a long day. I can't be expected to __________ after I just _____________."

Call 'em out, Samuel.

“And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free."
~~Helaman 14:30 

There IS no excuse for sin! Jesus was tired! Jesus was hungry! Jesus had long days! And yet he never submitted to sin.

Repentance: 

We justify in order to procrastinate repentance. Repentance is like ripping off a dirty bandage. It hurts. Rip, Ouch! But then it's off. However, if you leave it there because "I'm sure it's not too infected," or "It's just a little wound!" or "After all, it's not like I'm going to die of gangrene or something!" then it will fester right up until you have to amputate your arm.

It hurts to rip the bandage off. It hurts to change. But it hurts far less than the consequences.

The Lord has been so good to me. I can't even express. He has waited and waited for me to repent of my sins, patient for the time when I come humbly to repent. I'm going to go repent right now.