A living conscience

Miranda quickly cleared the dining table and briefly took the cups and plates to the kitchen when she heard a shout from the living room. She rushed out of the kitchen and found 1-year-old Stanley crying and trying to get up from the floor.

“What happened?” She asked George (who is three years old) while pulling Stanley up.

“I pushed him”, George replied.

What do I say to him? Miranda questioned her mind. She couldn’t think of anything. George had previously thrown his plate and cup away after having breakfast. Miranda had a talk with him about his actions and he apologized. A few moments later, he kicked his younger brother who was playing and running around.

“It’s OK now”, she said to Stanley as she hugged him and planted a kiss on his forehead.

Miranda and Stanley left for the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned to the living room to clean up a mess on the carpet.

“Forgive me”, George calmly said.

“What did you do?” Miranda asked.  “I pushed Stanley”, he replied

“Is that a good thing?” she continued. “No”, he quipped.

“OK, I have forgiven you. But you need to ask Stanley to forgive you because he was the one you pushed”, she explained.

“Forgive me, forgive me”, George chanted, running after Stanley who had no idea what was going on. Miranda held both of them and asked them to hug each other.

When a conscience is alive, the offender is humble, quick to admit a fault and ask for forgiveness. But when it is dead, there’s no realization of a wrongdoing. The Bible describes it as “having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). This doesn’t happen overnight. It is a gradual process where we ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit in us when we do wrong. Over time, we silence the gentle voice of the Spirit by wilful and persistent disobedience. The result is that such a person does not receive useful warnings and instructions anymore but begins to operate without godly guidance and direction. It is not a safe place to be. “Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:19).

“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).

Dear Lord, forgive us of moments we had ignored the Spirit’s leading and wandered around our own ways.  Help us to keep our consciences alive as we promptly obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!