I daresay we’ve heard a bit about original sin, but not nearly enough about original glory, which comes before sin and is deeper to our nature. We were crowned with glory and honor. Why does a woman long to be beautiful? Why does a man hope to be found brave? Because we remember, if only faintly, that we were once more than we are now. The reason you doubt there could be a glory to your life is because that glory has been the object of a long and brutal war.
--John Eldredge, Waking the Dead
I know Americans didn't invent self-obsession--the Romans were good at it long before we were. Maybe self-obsession is a natural by-product of living in a society of abundance. We have all we need and then some, so since we don't have to focus on meeting our needs, we focus on "enriching" our own life experiences even more. We feel driven to better ourselves, and unlike the majority of people in the world, we have the time and money to do so. I think John Eldredge's point is correct--we feel this drive to better ourselves because we know that we were created to be more than we are now.
The problem is that we go about trying to restore our glory in all the wrong ways. The world tells our problem is superficial. If only we looked better, made more money, drove a nicer car, had more success in our careers...if only these things happened for us, then we would have glory once again. Listening to the world, we seek superficial and manmade fixes for our lost glory when the problem is not superficial at all. The problem is a spiritual problem and the only solution is found in God. Only through God's power can we fight the daily war waged against who we were created to be. Only through God's word and His whisperings to us can we learn who we are and begin to walk in that glory. All other efforts will leave us emptier than when we began our search. Only in surrendering all that we are to God will our glory be found again.
Posted by Kim at January 25, 2007 07:30 AM