Interesting point

Interesting points made by Dr Henry Cloud in his book Changes that Heal. You can find this in the chapter, "What is the problem?"

"The world around us is good and bad. The people around us are good and bad. We are good and bad. Our natural tendency is to try and resolve the problem of good and evil by keeping the good and the bad separated... This creates a split in our experience of ourselves, others, and the world around us - a split that is not based on reality and cannot stand the test of time and real life...

It was not always this way. There was a time on planet Earth when everythinh was all good. God had painted a picture on the canvas of reality, and the reality of his picture wa perfection. The creation, including humans, was without blemish. We were without sin...

We were not made to deal with the effect of the Fall... We were not prepared to be imperfect. We don't have enough grace inside to anesthetize us against the pain of our own badness. It is horrible ebough to feel sin; but the guilt of the sin is even worse...

Deep down inside, we all realize the difference between our ideal self, the imagined perfection, and our real self, the one that truly is.

Acceptance of good and bad is the biblical alternative. It is called grace and truth... We accept anad forgive the bad, while clinging to the ideal as an unrealized goal that we strive for in an atmosphere of full acceptance. We stand in grace. This strategy does not split the good and the bad, nor does it get angry and condemning, but it grasps onto both the good and the bad at the same time.

If we are hurting someone, God, or ourselves, this sin will grieve us if we do not focus on our guilt. That grief, called godly sorrow. will move us not to punish ourselves, or anyone else but to take care of the one being hurt. This is the essence of a love-based marality."