Love Hurts

Eph 4:  ²⁶ “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold.

I recently read an interesting article posted by a friend on Facebook entitled "Seven Things I wish My Pastor Knew about Homosexuality (originally posted by Maxie Dunnam).  It was an article written by a now happily married mother of two children blasting some of the issues she dealt with during her long struggle with chronic sin.  My intent herein isn't to deal with homosexuality, the Bible is clear enough on that issue.  I simply appreciated the author's honesty in needing consistent and tough accountability.  She decried the feel good, God loves you anyway message of a politically correct church as contributory to her own struggle.  Instead she called for more fiery, unapologetic sermons on the spiritual consequences of sin and the Biblical commandment to live disciplined lives.  In the article, she posted the following which I thought insightful:  "Thomas Aquinas scholar Josef Pieper put it this way:

love is not synonymous with undifferentiated approval of everything the beloved person thinks and does in real life. . . . [nor is it] the wish for the beloved to feel good always and in every situation and for him to be spared experiencing pain or grief in all circumstances. “Mere ‘kindness’ which tolerates anything except [the beloved’s] suffering” has nothing to do with real love. . . . No lover can look on easily when he sees the one he loves preferring convenience to the good."

In today's politically correct society, however, those that take such a stance are berated and even labeled when taking a stand with our loved ones. 
I think every parent knows exactly how this woman feels. A loving parent stops the young child from wantonly running out into the street and strongly disciplines a defiant child simply to ensure their safety.  Good, Godly parents know that children need to be asked nicely one time to behave to teach their children manners, then told sternly to warn their children of impending doom and remind them that they are not in charge, and finally they need swift and decisive punishment to teach them the consequences of disobedience.  Great parents know that a swift painful spanking may in fact one day save their live as they will obediently stop when warned not to step out in front of an unseen car.  It's incredibly tough, however, to consistently complete all necessary steps in child rearing.  It can be emotionally draining, but is an absolute necessity to ensure kids learn the eternal consequences of sin. 
Although I don't agree with everything in the article, I thought it dealt with the subject of sin and accountability reasonably well and was clearly another message from God during this season of Lent.  I too need strong accountability, obviously not for homosexuality, but for sins with which I struggle with daily just the same.  I struggle with gluttony.  I struggle with materialism.  I struggle with lust.  I struggle with anger and how to properly display righteous indignation versus unkind words and actions that contribute to the problem rather than fix it. 
This season of Lent, God has been in my face about my own sin.  About how easily I can observe, comment, and decry the sins of others, yet I have so many of my own.  How I wish I could change, but changing of character isn't easy and sometimes, deep down, I really don't want to change.  I know intellectually I should, but my heart simply isn't in it.  Oh Lord, create in me a clean heart, so that its desires are consistent with your will!