God said to Jeremiah,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you …” (Jeremiah 1:5).
And “God shows personal favouritism to no man” (Galatians 2:6). What was true for Jeremiah is true for every human being. We are special.
David praised his Creator,
“For You formed my inward parts … I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made …” (Psalm 139:13, 14)
Again, God has no favourites. What was true for David is true for us too. I am special. You are special.
So why my contentious title?
Because it is my opinion that in Western-world Christianity we somehow feel the need to so harp on this point that we, mostly unconsciously, begin to think we are the centre piece around which the world revolves.
Please bear with me here. I’m facing the monster in my own heart.
Yes, every human being is special. Without gushing out all the obvious clichés (that are very true); the fact that every single one of the nearly seven billion people on planet earth is completely unique in every way is in itself a remarkable testimony to God’s creative genius and, by deference, our exceptional beauty.
But I don’t think it is unkind to point out that we, in the West, are bombarded with temptations toward self-absorption on a daily basis. The twin powers of proud individualism and rampant consumerism are overwhelming shaping forces we face at every twist and turn. And with every twist, we become more self-obsessed and ironically more ungrateful and more discontent.
So please play along with my choice of title. This article is part of a trio of articles1 that wrestles with the topic of contentment and with the spirit of our age designed to unhinge us. While I earnestly believe that every human is unbelievably special, somehow we’ve twisted this inspiring truth to become obsessed with ourselves – which gets our own knickers in a knot and unintentionally robs glory from the One who created us.
Interestingly, in his psalm (quoted above), David was not starring at his own reflection in the mirror, cooing: “Mirror, mirror on the wall…” He was praising the Creator not the creation. His psalm is an expression of worship to God not an ode to his own “specialness”.
If you still don’t appreciate my choice of title, then quit now (perhaps try again later?). However, if you get the point I’m trying to press home then continue with me as we attempt to burst our own bubble a little more.
Given that we are special – created in the very image of God Himself; the focal point of His creation and the principle object of His Fatherly attention and affection (Wow! Read that a few times again!) – the essential question is this:
What is our application of this wonderful truth? Or, said another way, how do we live in the reality of being so special?
Do we, on the one hand, develop a spirit of entitlement – aren’t we King’s kids after all? – in which we become increasingly bratty in our demands of God, suspicious of any challenges and trials we face and expect others to revolve around our needs and wants?
In other words, do you believe that because you’re so special, everybody owes you something?
(I’m not so foolish to think that we’d actually admit this in so many words. If you’re anything like me, then you’re also notorious for giving yourself the benefit of any doubt. But as we’re attempting to be honest here, we must “man-up” to the question: do we feel a sense of entitlement?).
Or do we, on the other hand, nurture a spirit of gratitude, realising that our true beauty/potential blossoms as we deny ourselves – and die to our tendency towards entitlement – in cooperative obedience to the revealed will of God and in service of others; even when (not if2) this means enduring challenges and trials?
In other words, do you believe that because God has made everyone (and everything) so special, we3 owe Him everything?
(And this act of grateful worship outworks in, among other things, putting others first, seeking to grow through adversity and respecting the planet He created).
Obviously – if you’re still reading (and didn’t bolt when I gave you the chance) – you’ll concur with this second life-orientation: because God has made everyone (and everything) so special, we owe Him everything.
But living it, while fighting off the continual struggle to gravitate, even slightly, towards the other position, is one of our core battles as twenty-first century believers.
In fact, there is an eerie ring of parallel relevancy to Paul’s words to Timothy in the first century. After declaring that “in the last days perilous4 times will come” he then unmasks the “un-generation” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).
He describes people hollowed out by self-obsession – “lovers of themselves” – who are, among other things, “unthankful, unholy, unloving [and] unforgiving” (vv. 2, 3).
The prefix “un” of course means, “without”. He is thus describing people who have lost the capacity to be thankful, moral, loving and forgiving. There is also a fifth “un” in this passage; Paul describes them as also being “without self-control”.
Obsessed with self, Paul’s final description is chilling: “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (v. 5). What power does this refer to?
Does it refer to our ability to see multiple prophetic visions, float on one spiritual high after another or glow in the dark? No … it seems to me that it refers to God’s enabling power to be thankful, holy, loving, forgiving and to exercise self-control – when everything conspires against us being Christlike.
Devoid of this power, through chronic self-absorption, we become a hollow shell – “a form of godliness” – all pretence, no substance.
While any number of generations throughout history could easily wear this label, is there a more indulged generation, across the board, than ours? Has there ever been a generation seemingly more incapable of gratitude, morality, love, forgiveness and self-control? (Of course, we don’t know for sure – but we need to ask the question).
And the knock-out punch for me is that Paul may not, in fact, be referring to unbelievers in this passage (see the context, 2 Timothy 2:14-26; 3:8, 9); it seems to me that Paul may be warning us, those who do believe, of the brutal power of self-obsession.
To be a “vessel of honour, sanctified and useful to the Master” requires we abandon “youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:21, 22); “youthful lusts” that when indulged, deepen into destructive forces that empty us out.
This was and remains the crux of our battle.
However, if we truly believe the paradox of Jesus’ hauntingly simple words we have the advantage of perspective to strengthen our hand in the battle.
Which words?
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
Perspective. A powerful yet often unappreciated word.
Allow me to indulge in this concept for an uncomfortable moment (irony intended).
The way we apply the concept of being special is seen most clearly (and disturbingly) in how we treat others (particularly those in whom we have no vested interest) and how we handle adversity.
It has been said that maturity is evidenced in one’s actions. It is probably closer to the truth that maturity is revealed by one’s reactions.
Actions can be rehearsed and when we have a vested interest – we need others approval, for instance – right actions can actually be the fabrication of a very immature, deceitful heart. (Yes, I confess I know this from first-hand experience).
When people we don’t (perceive to) need tax us or when adverse circumstances befall us, our reactions reveal our attitude; either a spirit of entitlement or … one attempting, in the grace He gives, to mature into His likeness.
Consider for a moment how materially blessed we are in West5. (And this is where we get up-close and personal with “perspective”).
Having lived on the African continent – and in that setting, still living a privileged life – I can candidly say that we in the West have a far tamer view of what adversity is.
Of course, adversity is relative. The problems we face are no less real than what people in the “thirty-third world” experience. And I’d be both deceitful and cruel to suggest otherwise. I certainly don’t sail through my own challenges in some “superhero outfit” and am not implying your hardships are a figment of your imagination.
However – I told you this would get uncomfortable – this is where perspective comes in. Though my challenges are very real to me, I do expect to have a roof over my head tonight and do expect to feed my family today. There are countless millions who do not have these basic privileges. And – I’m not sure how to tread on this sensitively6 – in many of these poverty-stricken situations, there is no hope of turning things around; the “fabric” or “infrastructure” of society, so to speak, is so smashed or never functioned in the first place.
“Come on Craig, you don’t pressurize your kids to eat the last bean on their plate with tales of starving children, do you? Why are you doing this here?”
That is not my point … my intention is not to use twisted psychology to somehow induce change in my own life or yours.
However, to acknowledge that my challenges are relative to my context gives me the gift of perspective.
Knowing that my mountain is another man’s molehill helps me to review my own perspective and also enables me to better appreciate what others face in life. In so doing, I remove the shackles of chronic self-absorption.
And when I shed my tendency to feel entitled – thanks to an over-emphasis of what it means to be special; especially because I’ve become accustomed to certain basic privileges and increasingly conditioned to believe I deserve more – I can more truly and more fully represent God in my world.
And can there be anything more special than that?
God has made everyone (and everything) so special, we owe Him everything.
Notes:
1 The other articles in this series (and there is no particular order to them):
I can’t get no satisfaction
http://soulrecharge.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction/
I can but I can’t
http://soulrecharge.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/i-can-but-i-cant/
The article, “I can’t get no satisfaction” could probably be seen as the main article and it therefore contains content twice the length of the other two.
2 The Bible emphatically teaches that we will face adversity – not “might”, “perhaps” or “if you do wrong”.
If you don’t believe James: “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2); the Master’s words are just as clear: “in the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33).
3 The use of the word “we” instead of “you” is deliberate. When we truly grasp what it means to be special, from God’s point of you, our proud individualism gives way to a humble interdependence.
4 Interestingly, the word “perilous”, in the phrase “in the last days perilous times will come”, appears only twice in the Scriptures; here and in Matthew 8, where the demon-possessed man from the Gadarenes is described as “exceedingly fierce” (v. 28). Thus, we may conclude that “perilous” refers to days inflamed by a quantum increase in demonic activity.
5 The irony, of course, is that material blessing can be a curse. Of course, Biblical wealth is not a curse; but it easier to mistake the comfort and ease of the “American Dream” – and the deceitful “pursuit of happiness” anthem – for Biblical prosperity than we think.
It is sobering to realise that shunning the wealth of the West is one of the core lessons missionaries from the remarkable Chinese underground church are taught.
6 Unemployment is a real factor even in Western nations. I cannot pretend to speak into this issue with any wisdom or knowledge.
WOW, yes Craig, 7 billion people on earth; yet each one is unique.
So is our personal walk with God unique in the way God leads, waits, forgives and encourages us.
Same principle as Gal 2:8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles … God is at work in Craig in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and is also at work in Peet in Allens Nek, Roodepoort, South Africa