I was driving my son to his basketball practice and I was trying to describe sin and salvation to him. My explanation went sort of like this:
"Son, sin isn't just about having a guilty conscience, feeling shame for doing bad things. Sin is about how the whole world seems broken, shattered into a million tiny pieces. And all those pieces fight against each other. Us against Them when we fight or kill. Humanity against Creation when we litter, pollute or make animals go extinct. Creation against Men and Women like we saw in Haiti. Us against God and God against us. And, finally, a man against himself...that guilty conscience and feeling that you are a bad person or a failure.
And if that is what sin is, all these sharp broken pieces cutting each other, then salvation is trying to put those pieces back together again. When you pick up your litter. That is salvation. When you befriend a lonely kid at school. That is salvation. When you praise God rather than curse him. That is salvation. When you forgive people, yourself included. That is salvation.
Salvation isn't just about 'going to heaven.' It's about finding these two broken pieces in life, wherever you find them, and putting them back together again. That is salvation."
