In episode five of Everything Becomes F: The Perfect Insider (Subete ga F ni Naru), the director’s wife serves tea and cookies to Sohei, Moe, and the associate director, during which time Moe subjects the woman to tough questions. Even though the widower says she’s trying to keep herself from thinking about her husband’s murder, she just doesn’t seem that broken up. He died mere hours before via a knife to the back of the neck, but eh, she’s mostly fine.
Denial, or is she feeling justice has been served?
I wonder if the director’s wife knows what’s now been revealed to the audience, that the director, Shiki’s uncle (or “uncle”), had an affair with his niece when she was underage. Maybe she also knows that her husband (possibly) had some role in the deaths of Shiki’s parents.
And in the end, perhaps the director’s wife is relieved at this comeuppance. He got was what coming to him.
Hidden from the view of the world (with the possible exception of a few intimate people who may have had knowledge of it, as I suggest above) is this affair between Seiji and Shiki. But even in secret, Seiji, who though he was being manipulated was still absolutely at fault for committing such acts outside of his marriage with an minor, paid the price. He was destroyed by his sin.
The sins we commit, and often particularly the “big” ones (which happen to be those we usually hide) can destroy us. They beget sin after sin as we hid the original one, and they prevent us from reconciling with God and thus from strengthening our relationship with him. And as we effectively sever that relationship, it’s no surprise that such sins might destroy us.
I’ve come close to such an experience myself.
A couple of years ago, during a time when I felt very proud of my spiritual state (even as I was unable to admit myself how ungracious I was to those closest to me), something unexpected happened. I quite suddenly found myself tempted by a young lady – a problem because, of course, I’m married and a father.
It was a confusing and startling experience for me. I was surprised (and happy) that a beautiful woman was attracted to me. But only, only by circumstances provided by God did I get off this road. Not by my own strength, for I realized that I would have made the choice to fall if the timing worked out (and it, by all accounts, should have) – in my weakness, I was given grace by God. Given the choice, I would have destroyed myself through secret sin; but because God had other plans, I did not.
Examples in the Bible abound in regards to such sins we keep under wraps. King David’s is similar to my own and to Seiji’s. He wasn’t destroyed either, but someone else was – his son. A child died as the result of sin. In other examples, the sinner himself was the one who died. So many have been like Seiji, physically destroyed by sinful choices.
Thankfully, many of us, like David, are given mercy by God. For our God is a gracious and compassionate God – He still had plans for David, who was repentant, as He does for us all. And if we turn from our sin, we, too, can avoid destruction. We need to remember how good God is, and how he’s worth more than anything we seek, as tempting as as those things – or people – may be.
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Featured image used by permission (art by 士雷)
Yet….what does that mean, spiritually?
There are a couple occasions where the logical consequences of one’s sin follow exactly from the sin they committed. If you get sent to jail because of murder, obviously you’re being punished for that murder. And if somebody kills you because of something awful you did, again logical consequences of your actions. Your sins literally destroy you.
But David’s child by Bathsheba died because God killed him. David didn’t destroy himself through sin— God destroyed him, and forgave him. This whole scenario is coming dangerously close to saying “God punishes people for all their worst sins in life,” while…really…Objective evidence says sometimes He doesn’t until well after the person is dead.
We like the idea of this world where no innocent person goes unrewarded and no guilty person goes unpunished, but we have all seen the most innocent people end life with nothing and the most heinous people live in splendor and guiltlessness. But we live in a fallen world, friends, and we also live in a world where, as someone else on the site put it….Sometimes bad things happen to us that aren’t our fault, and we can’t know why, and it’s way bigger than we are.
Thanks for bringing this up. I definitely don’t want our readers to think that we always get what we deserve – good and bad. The Bible is filled with examples and musings to the contrary. That we live in a fallen world is plenty reason for much of what happens to us – it’s an idea that many Christians seem to forget as they heap judgment upon others, and one that non-Christians don’t accept when they accuse God as being treacherous.
On the plus side, my life has been going….great? X3 I passed the Bar! <3
Congratulations!! Does that mean you already graduated? Are you working?
Yup, I’m working now. :] Graduated from law school and I act as part of the Policy team up at a non-profit advocacy organization. We’re like, uhm….the good lobbyists? XD
Appreciate your transparency, TWWK. It encouraged me to hear your testimony. I too am a husband and father and can relate to the grace God gives to choose wife/family over the allure of what the adversary sends our way. Enjoying the site, keep up the good work. And Luminas, congrats on passing the bar (my wife is an attorney so I can relate to your elation)!
Thank you for the encouraging words!