He who looks sinward has his back to God-he who looks Godward has his back to sin.
This quote is a profound exploration of the concept of moral and spiritual focus. It suggests that where we direct our attention determines our relationship with both sin and God. If one’s gaze is turned towards sin, they are metaphorically turning their back on God, indicating a disregard or abandonment of divine guidance and moral principles. On the other hand, if one looks towards God – implying an adherence to religious teachings or ethical standards – they are effectively turning away from sin.
The phrase “looks sinward” refers not just to committing sinful acts but also to dwelling mentally on such actions or desires. Similarly, “looks Godward” implies both righteous actions and thoughts focused on higher spiritual values.
In terms of personal development, this quote underscores the importance of focus and direction in shaping behavior and character. It proposes that by consciously directing our attention towards positive values (represented here by ‘God’), we can naturally distance ourselves from negative influences (represented by ‘sin’).
In today’s context, it could be interpreted as an encouragement to concentrate on positivity—be it kindness, honesty, integrity—and turn away from negativity such as hatred or deceit. This doesn’t necessarily need to apply in a religious sense; instead think about ‘God’ as embodying all positive virtues and ‘sin’ representing negative traits.
For instance: if you’re focused on dishonesty (looking sinward), whether by engaging in dishonest acts yourself or surrounding yourself with dishonest people, you’re turning your back on honesty (‘God’). Conversely if you’re concentrating your efforts toward being honest (looking Godward), you will naturally distance yourself from dishonesty (‘sin’).
The idea could be useful in various aspects of life—from personal relationships where focusing on love can help avoid conflict; at work where concentrating on productivity might deter procrastination; even for societal issues where directing collective attention towards solutions rather than problems may bring about more positive change.
