FBC JAX BEACH AT THE MOVIES: Alice In Wonderland

Throughout the summer months, we have used the blockbuster movies of '09/10 as modern-day parables to the truth of God's Word. "Alice In Wonderland," while very strange (can expect nothing less from the director that brought us such great flicks as "Sweeny Todd," "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," and "Pee Wee's Great Adventure") serves to bring about a crucial question for each person that calls him/herself a Christ Follower...you see, in this adaptation of Lewis Carroll's books,  19 year old Alice returns to Wonderland doubting the entire time that she is THE Alice and if everything around her is just merely a dream. Beyond fortifying my conviction to not use drugs, this movie made me wonder: imagine what lives we would be living if we didn't spend so much time trying to convince ourselves that we are not who God says that we are and we can never live the lives that God has freely given us to live.

To reclaim and proclaim what our true identity and reality is because of Jesus Christ, we must first look at how God defines us...not how we define us (based on our job, our line of work, our relationships, our status, or even our backgrounds). To have objective truth on the subject, I can think of no better place in all of Scripture than 1st Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His [God's] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Not to oversimplify, but there it is:

• "A Chosen Race"...God willingly chose to love you
• "A Royal Priesthood"...you have unfiltered access to the King of kings and Lord of lords as an heir
• "A Holy Nation"...God sees you as holy, forgiven and set free from your past mistakes
• "A People for His Possession"...life is no longer meaningless, you now have purpose 

I think, by and large, we really want to believe these things...we long to believe these things, we just don't believe these things. This question is, then, what gets in the way of me truly embracing the identity that God has bestowed on me? Each person has their own unique battles with this issue, but I believe each of these battles can placed into 1 of 4 categories:

• I allow my inadequacies to take hold of me
• I allow other people's perspectives to take hold of me
• I allow my old habits to take hold of me
• I allow my lack of understanding to take hold of me

The common denominator in all of these categories is that my eyes, attention, focus, and eventually my belief about me is that God is removed from the equation...and when that happens, all things become skewed. On the issue of my inadequacies, of course I'm inadequate...but my inadequacies/adequacies have nothing to do with how God sees me and loves me; that is a matter of His resolute choosing and will. On the issue of other people's perspectives of me, of course they vary...but my identity is not wrapped up in the shifting mindsets and emotions of people, it is anchored in the truth of God's Word. On the issue of my old habits creeping back in, of course I like to do life in my own strength (only to find out how weak and out of control I really am!) ...but I am not now defined by who I used to be and how I used to do life, but rather who God says I am now. On the issue of my lack of understanding, of course I am continually learning and do not have everything about the Christian life figured out...but, then, again I don't have to have everything figured out in order to live out what I already know about God and His love for me (after all, none of us sit in the dark because we don't have a complete understanding of electricity, wiring, conduits, and filaments...we flip the light switch on).

So how do we move from seeing ourselves through the prisms of past, people, and lack of infinite knowledge to seeing ourselves the way that God sees us: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for His own possession? TRAINING

Again, not to sound overly simplistic, but we must take baby steps: visualize and then apply.

Ask yourself, "How would someone who God has freely chosen to love, who has unfiltered access to God, is declared as holy by God, and is imbued with purpose from God view today?"    

Then view today like that!

In the issues that cause us to lose sleep, cause us to worry, and trouble us, ask yourself, "How would someone who God has freely chosen to love, who has unfiltered access to God, is declared as holy by God, and is imbued with purpose from God handle this issue in their life?"

Then handle that issue in that manner!

Remember, it took time in order for you to view yourself the way you now view yourself...and it will take time and practice (visualize then apply) to begin reversing course, but stick with it...God has so much in store for you (the you He says you are), but you have to trust Him in order to become who you never thought possible and to live in a manner beyond your imagination.