Partially due to the rise of the internet, our 3rd millennial lifestyles often lead us towards selfish, self-image spirituality. The emphasis isn’t on who we are on the inside, but who we present ourselves to be on the outside. We are judged by the content of blogs, MySpace and Facebook pages, personal websites, podcasts, and YouTube videos.
Unfortunately, all of these can be edited. I say “unfortunately” because in the midst of editing photos, blogs, videos, and the like, we are leaving part of ourselves behind. The more we edit, the easier it is to overlook the ugly parts of our lives. Whether it’s a stranger or a best friend that visits our website, they only see the best of us — not the worst. Whether we realize it or not, we are slowly becoming like spiritual Pharisees.
2 Timothy 3:5 has been deeply stirring for me. Speaking of the end times, Paul writes, “They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes, they are animals.” Yikes. In many ways, many of us can relate.
We can have an appearance of godliness, yet deny its power. We can appear put together online, yet behave in a contrary way offline. A good show, whether at church or online, does not equal spiritual success.
It is somewhat unrealistic to suppose that we won’t put our “best foot forward” in a public arena. I dare say that we should still brush our teeth, check our spelling, and mind our manners. It definitely matter how others perceive us.
However, as we get better at marketing ourselves, it would be a death sentence to forget what is behind the scenes. One our greatest challenges is to confront the unseen parts of our life. Behind the scenes — when the camera is no longer rolling, when there is no more blogging to be done — what is left?
This was written nearly a year ago (11/15/06), but not much has changed. The question is still a good one.
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My dog, Lily, is a strange conglomerate of beagle, basset, and boxer.
She is a beautiful dog of snow white, with a few perfectly placed brown spots. She is lean, muscular, and smart. I wouldn’t know, but she is probably pretty “hot stuff” in the dog world.
You might think that she spends her days sleeping, and when not sleeping, hunting in the yard for squirrels. Yet, while that is partly true, the boxer in her comes through the most.
Taking her for a walk, for instance, is an incredibly difficult task. She pulls and pulls, with her 40 lbs. of muscle, in one way then the next. She walks in front, behind, and to the side. She will race after other dogs, cars, and any faint sound or smell.
Everytime I walk her, my arms end up aching from all of the pulling and jerking.
The question is, who is in charge? Who is leading whom? Am I leading my dog for a walk, or is she leading me?
The Apostle Paul addresses this same question in Romans 8:14, where he discusses the relationship between the “dog” of the flesh and the Spirit of God: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (NASB)
