The Sharp Cut of Guilt

We live in a society seemingly without an external standard. People can pretty much do whatever they want and yeah there are laws and such but even those aren’t exactly enforced. Also groups of people encourage the idea by saying people have their rights and it’s wrong to stop them from doing what they want. For example a case in maybe Florida but I’m not sure took place where a young lady of about 16 or 17 sued her parents because they refused to let her leave the house to go have sex with some schlunko in his 30s. a group called the American civil liberties union or ACLU defended the girl saying that it was her right to go to this pervert and that the parents were denying her rights by stopping her from going. I use this situation to demonstrate just how far our nation has come in its refusal to acknowledge right from wrong. Oh and the girl won. What does this have to do with cutting? As our society pushes itself more toward a world without right or wrong people tend to shift more to the wrong, just look at Sodom and Gomorrah and Hollywood. All places without laws and standards and all suffered from indecency and God destroyed the first 2 with fire. Basically what I’m getting at so far is that in this world without standard, people still have to deal with their consciences. Even though everyone around them may say that the sins they do are perfectly ok, that person will still feel guilt that comes with sin. Paul tells us in the bible that it is a sin to go against your conscience. it is also a sin to coax someone into going against their conscience. What our nation is left with, especially teens, is lots and lots of guilt. Guilt doesn’t go away like a sickness; it can only be stopped through the loving grace of Christ. Jesus forgives us completely and even though we sin, he loves us just the same. The love of Christ knows no bounds. After experiencing this kind of love and seeing the mark it leaves in our hearts and the hole it fills in our soul how could anyone not live for Christ. This person would not avoid sin because of fear or guilt but because of love. But what happens without the love of Christ, where does that guilt lead. Eventually it can lead to things like depression and cutting.

I think cutting is one of the worst thing a person can do to themselves. First and most obviously that person is hurting the body God gave them. Our bodies are temples of the Lord and this is serious abuse. What may be even worse though is that cutting starts a vicious and repetitious cycle. People feel so guilty about something or just down in general to a point at or near depression. This horrible feeling manifests itself where a person will cut themselves to watch it bleed and maybe their guilt and depression will go away with the blood while it trickles down their arm. However once done does the person feel proud about cutting themselves? No, the blood stops flowing scars remain. The person knows how destructive the behavior is and guilt increases. Cutters are not people to be shunned or looked down upon. They, more than perhaps any other, need our friendship and our prayers. A good friend of mine, who does not attend my school, admitted to me that she used to cut herself and she had a number of scars which she was terrified that people would notice. Yet this friend showed perhaps more strength than anyone I’ve ever met and gave a speech to her English class about how horrible cutting is. To close her speech she faced up to her fears and told her class that she knew exactly how horrible cutting is because she had done it to herself.

We live in a society that gives people an infinite amount of opportunities to sin without external consequences. Yet internal consequences can be even worse. They can lead people to depression, cutting and other horrible self destructive behavior. Granted guilt is not the only reason people cut, it is a major reason. Because cutters often feel trapped, they need help more than most. Friends, parents, and others need to be understanding to their problem and not punish them but work with them. How can you punish someone for punishing themselves? Finally only the love of Christ has the power to change people's hearts. Christ loves and forgives us unconditionally and the worst thing we as sinners can do I avoid him and his love. Cutting is horrible, but a cutter is a redeemed child of God and needs love, support and prayers more than any.