This question is the ultimate crossroads question. It's a circular question that meets you over and over at various stages of your life. It's especially pertinent in our faith walk. "Who do they say I am?"
It starts off as an insecure question which becomes so important that it envelops your life, forcing you to make choices based solely on what you want the answer to that question to be. That is, in this stage, your main purpose is making sure that others approve of who you are—every public act becomes a campaign to control who 'they' say 'you' are. You get trapped behind a never ending series of campaign nights in which you await the verdict of each life choice you have made. People's pundit/voter like affirmation or rejection of you becomes your sense of self.
This stage often leads to next stage in which you cast off the shackles of what 'they' think and boldly declare that You're living for Yourself (capital Y). "I don't care what anyone thinks about me!" you proclaim to anyone who will listen. Lies! Lies, I tell you! You can only sustain this stage for a little while.
But, there's another stage in which you return to this question: "Who do they say I am?" At this point you realize who 'they' say you are is THE question. And the answer to that question is THE answer. And 'they' no longer simply represents that 3rd grade bully you tried to make like you, that date who stood you up or the cool kids who thought you were a nerd. 'They' becomes humanity at large and, ultimately, 'They' becomes God. Not in a weird pantheistic, everything-is-god-and-god-is-everything sort of way. But, in the understanding that in serving God we must serve man and that our quest to be pleasing to God demands that we please our neighbors. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 (see also1 John 4:20, Mark 10:43-44, Matt 25:40). Who they say we are and who we indeed are to them becomes our focus on the Pursuit of Christ.
Thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment