Walking With Christ

A quick joke before the message for today.

A guy goes to his rabbi and says, “Rabbi, you are never gonna believe what happened to me. My son left the house and became a Christian”. The rabbi looks at the guy and says, “You are never gonna believe what happened to me. My son ALSO left the house and became a Christian. Let’s pray to God for answers.”

God says, “Wow, you guys are never gonna believe what happened to me.”


When you’re done laughing, find a mirror. Look in it. Unless you’re being a smart aleck, you know exactly who is looking back at you. This idea gives me comfort on most days. That is, until I realize that I’m looking at a very human problem that most people struggle with, even if they don’t know it.

The problem is that when we look in the mirror we DO know who is looking back at us. We know every detail about the person we see there. This knowledge brings complacency. It forms a habit. We are habitually the same person today that we were yesterday. We tell our selves the same stories. We give the same answers to the same questions. We have the same stresses and worries. We have the same problems and fears. We can grow comfortable with having those things because of the habits we form with them. The coping mechanisms we craft for surviving and adapting to them being there become just another part of our lives.

Surprise! You are addicted to being who you are.

Let that sink in for a minute. You are who you are because you don’t know how to be anybody else. This includes the negative thoughts and stresses you feel. The mourning process can be experienced for just about any sudden change in life. It isn’t just for death. The process can be over simplified as a type of withdrawal from the normal. The loss of a job can cause a similar pattern to the loss of a loved one. Adding a baby to the family can also cause the same pattern even though we typically characterize it in happier terms. We mourn the change. We can become addicted to the stresses and pain we have. We can become addicted to the drama or even the lack thereof. When we become accustomed to something being in our lives (Sin? Anyone?), a sudden change can cause the symptoms of withdrawal.

Now for the fire…

We are warned against complacency and self-satisfaction in Revelation 3:15-17 where Jesus criticizes Laodicea for being “lukewarm”. We are warned against worldly comforts in Luke 12:16-21 with the parable of the rich man who stored up earthly goods but never added to his heavenly riches. Paul warns us against spiritual slumber in Romans 13:11-14. The metaphor of sleep here can apply to anyone who is coasting through life just trying to remain comfortable.

So what do we do? How do we avoid getting stuck in the rut of complacency? How do we avoid becoming addicted to who we are?

Seek the kingdom of God, Matthew 6:33, grow with diligence, 2 Peter 1:5-10, and change, Romans 12:2. Understand that there will be adversity, John 16:33, but we are not crushed by it, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, since we always have the option to put down our burden, Matthew 11:28-30, and find our rest in Him. We find His strength in our weakness, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. No matter what life throws as us, we have to remember that it is just a passing season, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Remember, when we were saved we became a NEW creation. We became a NEW person. Holding on to the addictions of who we were will prevent us from shedding the old self, Ephesians 4:22-24, and traps us in victimhood and self-pity just like the Israelites in the wilderness, Exodus 16.

We cannot become a new person until we let go of the old. We cannot move into a new season until we leave the old. If you are truly saved then put down the old and come into the new. The old you is dead. Mourn them but don’t get stuck mourning them. Let the addiction to being that person go. Give it to God. Look forward to tomorrow as a new person and look forward to getting to know the person in the mirror.