thoughts on Christian identity versus popular culture's Self Actualization

There is often a confusion in the Christian mind between the biblical concepts of God's call and our identity in Christ and the secular concept of self actualization. There is  biblical exhortation to know our identity as children of God, to know we as individuals are known and designed with purpose, and to seek to walk out in spiritual gifts and callings for the edification of the church and the glory of God. Often, however, we read our secular ideas of self actualization into Scripture, or smuggle its concepts into our understanding of these things. 

Christian culture can mistakenly focus on self actualization disguised in the language of Christianity, the language of Scripture- spending a great deal of time on our calling, our giftings, our identity, our dream, our vision, our individual design.... and so on. While all of these do have validity, they are continually in the context of Christ, the glorification of Christ, service to Christ, surrender to Christ, imitation of Christ and conformity to Christ. Jesus is at the center of the story. This is not a story about us. Its a story of God's glory- He has graciously swept us up in the most epic tale of all time... chosen to make us objects of His love...but its still about Him. Its by Him and through Him and FOR Him that we have our being. 
Self actualization is, in addition, opposed to the Christian realities of the fallenness of man, the virtue of sacrifice and the need for degrees of self mortification. It is a very different concept than the identity and calling which are under consideration in redeemed Christian sanctification and calling. 

In the Christian doctrines and pursuits, the essential pursuit is not self but CHRIST. Individuality is a matter primarily of variety of expressions of the same Christ; Giftings given for the edification of the church vary in effect but are by the same Spirit; We are not trying to become more independent and more ourselves- we are becoming more conformed and more like Christ. Certainly the more we do so, the more we will become truly ourselves as we were designed to be. But this is fundamentally a byproduct and not a pursuit. As a pursuit, its a tragic misunderstanding at best; humanistic idolatry at worst. 

Its as if self actualization likens us to varied jewels; but our diversity as Christians is more akin to being facets of the one majestic diamond. We are revealed not for the beauty of ourselves (mere cuts and angles) but for displaying the splendor of God. If our goal is to be fully revealed, in all our glory...we have turned aside from the Christian understanding of identity in Christ to a godless self actualization. (Oh the disappointment of atheistic dreams when it is found that we are mere ruts and gashes when wrested out of the context of God and that the refractions of light once shown were not our own!) 
If our rallying cry rather be “Christ in me, the hope of glory” we will surely not be disappointed; and our selves will certainly be found in Him.

wish you were here

Dear mom, I am writing a note i know you aren't reading. Its a literary form to carry my heart.

Today is a day we are supposed to remember our mothers. But it makes me sad that remembering is all i can do. Has it been eight years? You were the best mother i could ever ask for, you were amazing and such a gift and treasure in my life. But all the past tense verbs required to talk about you weigh on me and bring tears to my eyes; i will have to abbreviate this note. What I wanted to say is that i love you,  i miss you, and i wish you were here. 

Love till the other side,  liz xx

fifteen years ago this month

Exactly fifteen years ago, in the spring of 1998, I threw myself a luau themed graduation party. I was sixteen and already accepted for a Discipleship Training School course in Maui, Hawaii. The centerpieces were glass fishbowls inhabited by three goldfish each; fish bought for the express purpose of being centerpieces and being sent home with the children of hapless attendees. Each fishbowl featured a place card listing the names I had given to the fish in the respective bowl. (i still love naming things.) It was clearly going to be a rager.

I wore a full length pink dress I bought for a few dollars at a garage sale. I had never had any school dances or proms but had always desperately wanted to wear a formal gown. This wasn't exactly a formal gown ( it was home made and secondhand) and even so, I was critically overdressed for a party in the east wing fellowship hall of our church- but it was full length and kinda satiny...and that was something. 

Below is a photo of my precious and supportive family at the time. This photo reminds me how much fifteen years can change. Half of the people in the photo with me are no longer alive; i live nearly four thousand miles from those remaining. Of those, I used to see their faces on a near daily basis; i now see them annually, at best. I am grown up, far away, and across an ocean. They are still loving and supportive- even with the distance between us. A blessing if ever I have known one. But fifteen years can really reshape a family landscape.

Fifteen years ago, I was sixteen and still only dreaming of the place I now call home. I could not have imagined where the next decade and a half would take me, nor the doors the Lord would open before me. So much lay out in the unknown. Its crazy to me now on the other side of all those years. 

Its been a wild journey from those sunny goldfish bowls to this quiet rainy night on my couch in Maui; its wild looking back fifteen years from this month.

few and further between

Unfortunately, my posts have been few and even further between. Its not that i have nothing to say- its more that there is so much on my mind that i can't even get words around it all. Time will distill it all a great deal and i will have something to say. But for now- its just lots sitting on my heart.

There isn't pictures either. Its not that there isn't anything going on, but that the goings on aren't events per se and thus not typical camera toting occasions. So there isn't even a glimpse into life to share.

Planning for the summer Reformation Generation program is coming along well- I am excited for our participants to come out for July and be impacted by the Lord during their stay with us. I am working from home often as our department doesn't have our own office. So i am home a lot:)  This situation is exacerbated by the fact that my car decided to take a rest for the week: the starter rolled over and died last Saturday, leaving my vehicle resting quietly in its stall. A friend is going to try and help me fix it- hopefully this next week. Until then, i probably won't be roaming too far!

Thats all for now- nothing really wild to relay... much afoot but little to say. Relatively mundane administrative days (which have been super hot lately for some reason), few outings due to car issues, and a season steadily mounting toward the highlight of the upcoming RefGen summer.

Hopefully next time i will have more to share. Cross your fingers (though it will probably do little but to  give you arthritis... ;)