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And, sin is sin. What may be a big sin to us is "just" sin to Him, and it separates us from Him unless we are covered through Christ

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That's something I learned as a child. Sin is black. The lack of sin is white. There are no grey areas. "Sin is sin."

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Yes, we are chastised when we do wrong,

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Finances have always been a problem for me. If I manage my money wisely, I find that what I have left is more than enough to meet my needs. When I've been wasteful, no matter what I do, I don't have enough to get me through... even when I pray for help. For a while now, it has felt and I have said that "God is tightening the screws." Maybe that's not a good way to put it, but in essence, He's "chastising" me in order to bring me back in line where He wants me and where I need to be. There have also been times when he has been "a doting Father."

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I always wonder about the "Christians" I am dealing with IRL when full blown attacks on each other occur... though it can be that there are those who are not close to God involved, it could also be that some are not true Christians but pretenders.

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This brings to mind The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It also brings to mind a great old man of the cloth that I once knew.

It could be that some "Christians" are on the verge of making that final commitment for Christ and Satan is launching an all out attack on them. Satan attacks them because he doesn't want to lose "another one." Then there's Dr. Miller, the man of whom I spoke above. He was such a threat to Satan that Satan sent a fireball to chase Dr. Miller around a hut in some country that is strong in Voodoo. No doubt someone invoked Satan to do this. Dr. Miller, through the grace of God, survived that attack.

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Because we are set apart, we are different, and others do not understand this.

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This brings back the words of my aunt in a coversation we had. She said she prayed for her daughters as well as for me that God would keep us "set apart from this world" as we were sent into the world. The verse is in the book of John, I do believe. I'll have to look it up.

Why is it that we're so ready to believe those that aren't as close to us as our own parents?? My mother may have said the very same words to me but I didn't hear them from her. Feels like to me that all this has stirred up even more hidden issues with my mother. It's amazing how studying God's Word can bring about more healing just when you think you've got the bull by the horns! I can hear my mother's voice ringing in my head as she taught and preached. It sounds glorious!! There's got to be some closing of the gap between the woman that raised me and that woman that had to stand on a box to look over the podium. Oy Vey! Too many memories!