Desires are not Always Bad

You were created with many desires, none of which are bad. Desire is an essential part of life. You become hungry and you desire to eat food. You become tired and desire to sleep. Certain things make you uncomfortable, so you desire lives that provide comfort. There are many kinds of desires, and they are a part of you.

Desires are good. They keep you alive and motivate you to better lives. It is what you do with your desires that becomes sin. If you desire food but then, knowing that you have a health problem, eat only that which is harmful to you, that is a sin. If you desire comforts and then lie or cheat to get them, that is a sin.

What is common to sin is that the action is contrary to the commandment of love. Because of your desire, you might do something that you shouldn't. It is not the desire itself that brings about the sin but a lack of love. Without love, one can satisfy one's desires in ways that are bad for oneself and bad for other people. Desire itself does not harm other people by stealing their possessions, but a lack of love allows one to satisfy one's quest for possessions to the detriment of others.

My commandment is love that issues from a pure heart and does no harm to either oneself or others. Do not try to rid yourself of desire. That cannot be done. You wil only end up suppressing it. Instead, learn to live as a whole human being and to walk in the ways of love.

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