In a world dominated by an incessant drum beat of “us vs. them”, we must ask ourselves – who are “them”? Who are we fighting? How well do we know them and how defiant is our stance against them? Today’s economically sensitive culture is ripe for picking an enemy and blaming it for whatever obstacles lay in our path to winning that bonus, chasing that dream, or freeing ourselves from addiction.
You realize the true battle suddenly lights up with picture perfect clarity – it is “you vs. you”
On the other hand, if we can stop to think as individuals, to wipe away the mental blur induced by an arbitrary antagonist, one can put into focus the critical obstruction keeping us from attaining our goals. Like the face staring back at you in the mirror, you awaken to the unflinching fact that the villain in this game is actually you. Once you step away from the hype spun by the media machine, hearsay, gossip, politics, news, talk shows, etc. – you realize the true battle suddenly lights up with picture perfect clarity – it is “you vs. you”.
The manufactured formula for swaying human emotion is powerful, and worth billions of dollars to those who control it. People almost always fall for the contrived notion of a hero saving us from the evil “them”. Our minds effortlessly take comfort in placing the full blame of our problems onto an external bad guy…eventually allowing all possible solutions to gradually slip further into the distance of an after thought, separating us from the present state of reality.
According to the bible, ¹ everyone is in need of redemption. Our natural condition was characterized by guilt: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). The word redeem means “to buy out.” The term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom.
The former slave gains because he sees the real fight for what it is
The former slave, like an addict who drops the drinking habit, gains back his full potential when he himself changes – or asks to be redeemed, without waiting for an elusive enemy to fall, or for some phantom hero to rescue him. The former slave gains because he sees the real fight for what it is – an actionable change that starts by asking for redemption.
The next time you’re brushing your teeth, stop for a moment to face yourself in the mirror and ask, “God, what can I do today that will help me find peace, even if it’s a tiny action?” Then spit, rinse, repeat every day, and know that with a little faith, things will begin to change and the enemy will fall.
References
¹Gotquestions.org