Genesis 4:7
If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it.
Have you ever read through a passage of the Bible and had something jump out of the page at you? I can't even count the number of times I have read the story of Cain and Abel. I've never seen anything particularly hopeful in the story, until today. This verse in Genesis reminds me that I have the power avoid sin. I can't conquer it mind you, once I have succumbed to sin the only answer is forgiveness through Jesus Christ. But God has given us the strength to avoid it in the first place. We do not have to sit back and be victims of our desires.
I had a pastor once, Fr. George, who preached on the avoidance of near occasions to sin. He said that like an addict we know what triggers us to sin. It's just a matter of having the willpower to avoid it. He said he can't be near the parking lot after mass because when he saw the way people treated each other while trying to leave after just having gathered together at the Eucharistic table made him angry. So he always lingered in the narthex after mass.
Take a moment today to think about the things in your life that trigger you to sin. Is it hanging out with a particular co-worker you always share gossip with? Maybe, like me, you need to leave for work a few minutes early to avoid being stuck in traffic. Find these things that lead you into sin and come up with a concrete way to avoid them. Remember "its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it."
