We Live According to Who We Think We Are

I know, state the obvious much? But it's true, isn't it? We live according to who we think we are. If we think we're a great basketball player, we're going to try out for the team. If we think we're incredibly tall, we're going to duck when we go through doorways.

But this can be twisted and distorted. Look at those with eating disorders. Anorexics have a twisted view of who they are and thus live in a way that is actually very unhealthy in light of who they actually are. A thin person will starve himself voluntarily believing he is grossly overweight.

Is it that much of a leap to think that someone who is told that they are sinful (bad, evil, having a sin nature, untrustworthy, weak, etc.) will struggle with sin? If your very nature is to sin, why wouldn't that be what you do?

I recently read a post at Stuff Christians Like (which I really like) that sparked something in me. Jon Acuff relayed an encounter he had with a worship leader. The worship leader wanted to change the lyrics in a hymn from "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love" to "Prone to worship, prone to praise". Jon's point was that he found that to be indicative of someone being fake, or unwilling to be honest and real about sins and failures.

I certainly understand the sentiment, few things have turned me off from religion as much as the incredible amounts of fakeness and the tendency to brush every unpleasant thing under the rug. But by the time I read the post, there were around 150 or so comments with people unequivocally supporting Jon's position, wanting to leave the lyrics unchanged because they felt that was a more correct statement regarding their experience.

It was almost jaw-dropping, often I forget how much I'm kind of in a little "grace bubble" at the moment. I sometimes don't realize how the average Christian tends to see him or herself. And I don't blame them. It's easy to take that position. I sin, therefore I am a sinner. Plus add in the fact that it's pretty much hammered into their heads from the pulpit on a weekly basis that they need to do more, be more pleasing, get more right with God, etc. It's no wonder that people hold on so tightly to a distorted view of who they are.

But maybe that view is backwards. Maybe much of the struggle with sin is a natural consequence of believing that one's self is a sinner at heart.  Why do we act surprised when people sin when at the same time we tell people that they are programmed to sin at their most fundamental level?

And really, what do we think the cross accomplished?  That may be the biggest issue here.  It goes back to seeing what Jesus did on the cross as a "Get Out of Hell Free Card" vs. being the actual reconciliation of God to man, the death of every person with Jesus on the cross, the sinful nature crucified with Him. 

And then the resurrection.  I love the resurrection.  All of us who died with Christ on the cross also rose again as new beings with Him on that beautiful Sunday morning!  Maybe it sounds rather mystical, but mystical doesn't mean impractical.  Our old selves who were prone to wander died, and to live according to our dead selves is pure foolishness.   

Also, I think to call ourselves "prone to wander", we show a misunderstanding of who God really is.  As Father continues to reveal Himself to us, I truly believe that we find that there's no place better to be.  Why would we be prone to wander from the Father who loves us more fully and completely and unconditionally than we can even comprehend?