All that is frayed in us

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One of my favorite confessions of sin is from a short poem called "Thread," by Dan Chiasson. "I am frayed where it would be highly useful," he writes, "to make a point."

Many people, perhaps most, are at least vaguely aware of one of the consequences of human sin. Our lives—to some degree our whole selves—become frayed. Sin lies at the heart of our discontent. It is the cause of our restlessness. As a result, we experience a myriad of feelings rooted in alienation (a fancy word for being frayed)—loneliness, regret, shame, meaninglessness.