[HiTech RedNeck]

Sin is not just a thing that God hates. Sin is also a sign that God is absent in some manner from a life.

Those who accept Christ as Savior do not suddenly have all sin erased from their earthly lives. They do have all their sin covered from the cross. This is a stark necessity by the nature of the case. The reason we strive to leave sin once God has taken us up in salvation, is because of love. Folks who pretend all their sin is extinguished short of arriving in glory are simply wrong. And it requires humility to accept that. It acknowledges that our sin burden really is on God and not on our own selves. We’d like to strut up to God and say look Father, look what I did, no sin... but we can’t. God the Son says look Father, look what I did, that sinner’s sin is now eternally paid for.

Humanity wasn’t created to be like we sadly are today. I have tried however clumsily on my own Freep page to express how voluntary love necessitates the possibility of choosing the wrong thing.

[GBA]

I like what the author had said about it being a process.

I think drug use, or any addiction for that matter, is of the opposite sort: the instant gratification that appeals to the control freak within. "Feel bad? Do this and instantly feel better."

God usually or often doesn't work that way.

Instead, He walks with us from one end of the obstacle course to the other, rather than instantly taking us to the end.

As a result, we grow stronger emotionally, spiritually and in our love for God.

He knows what He's doing and He knows us better than we will ever know ourselves.

All praise and glory to God, the Supreme Healer!

[Finny]

Also ... whether or not something is a burden, is ENTIRELY subjective. As I said -- I interpreted my alcoholism as a burden, a crippling heavy one, and THE ONLY PERSON who could help me "cure" the problem was ME, and I could ONLY do it with the help of God.

I came to realize that what I at first thought was a burden, was in fact a GIFT.

Sin is also a sign that God is absent in some manner from a life.

All humans are sinners, every single one of us. Thus God is absent in some manner from every single life. That is what you are saying, though to what end is beyond me and I think beyond you, as well.

We're supposed to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. All the Law and the Prophets hang on those two commandments.

Whether or not you think God is absent from the sinner's life has zilch to do with your own duty to that sinner and to God.

God is love -- the bible says so CLEARLY and OFTEN.