Sincere

God has blessed me with the opportunity to see some marvelous statuary in my life. To actually see David, The Pieta, and Aphrodite is a rare privilege. I never cease to marvel at the beauty and grace which comes from a rendering with rough and ancient tools. Were these men who created them as flawless as the end result? Probably not, and as a result we have a much used and meaningful word in our vocabulary. Its foundation was no doubt used frequently in the appraisal of their work.

The word is “sincere.” Going to its Latin roots, we find it broken into two parts. “Sin” is basic—without. “Cere” means in many applications—wax. Thus the literal translation becomes— without wax. To understand the word we must return to the talents of the sculptor. Rather than discard a huge block of very expensive marble, if the artisan erred, he would fill in with wax. This worked well for concealment of the blunder until the work was exposed to the sunshine. The attendant heat outside in the clear warmth of day light would melt the wax and expose the blunder. Therefore, if the artist produced a faultless work it was described as sincere.

The positive component of the word is defined by the perfection which is implied, if we are faultless, there is no need for any cover-up. It would seem to reflect the characteristics of a life with Christ. Sunshine or shadow should be of no importance if our constant guide is truth. Have we as Saints, any need for any device to conceal who we are and what we stand for?

In our daily lives we are provided scriptural opportunities which were probably not available or recognized by the sculptors of old. If we make a mistake or commit a sin we have the advantage because we can confess to our Maker, seek forgiveness, repent and continue ever mindful of the necessity not to repeat that affront to God. Introspection then demands I examine my life and ask if I have been guilty of filling in an error or two with my own version of wax. Since it is never too late to seek repentance and forgiveness, it’s a healthy exercise.

Just as I lie down to sleep, I often review the various encounters I have had with others during the day. I try to take an objective look and see if my memory can detect any possible offense I might have made. I have a fairly quick mind and an even quicker tongue. As a result I often see things I may have done better. If hurtful to others, I try to express my awareness and apologize at the first opportunity. It is part of the discipline of AA and more importantly, a commandment from God. This double barreled approach has been invaluable in pursuit of both programs. If both are taken seriously, they eventually merge.

I seriously doubt that I will ever be comfortable describing myself as sincere again. It’s rather like identifying oneself as humble. We are, every one of us, a work in progress. We can, and should, strive for perfection. We should also be mindful of our humanity and beware of disclaiming sin while looking for our wax supply.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon