Big sister Jos's post was great!

Trapped in a Mirror Image

Oddly enough, a glass of beer taught me something about how to follow Christ.Puzzled? Alarmed? Don't worry; just stay with me for a while.Let's start by looking at our culture's obsessions: sex, shopping, superficial beauty, consumerism, self-will, instant gratification, the idea of doing "whatever makes you feel good right now."

You don't have to be a Christian to see that chasing after these ideas of happiness leads to some dark, destructive places.What's different about being a Christian is that we actually have a positive alternative: life in Christ. Great—but how do we move from being on the path to darkness, to being on the path to light? Here's a thought: If we are the mirror image of this dysfunctional culture, rejecting everything it values, won't that put us firmly on the path to the light?Well ... no.You see, we are called not to be slaves, but to be free. And when you mirror something, it still dictates what you do, just in reverse—you are still enslaved to it, just in a different way. What's more, an ethos based on rejecting the bad (rather than embracing the good) is a fundamentally negative, restrictive, life-draining ethos; it becomes self-righteous rather than godly, judgmental rather than liberating. The effects of a mirror-image ethos are all the more deadly precisely because it's based on good intentions.

Where does the beer come in?

To start with, it's a prime example of something that's healthy and enjoyable in moderation, but subject to abuse in excess.I attended a university that at the time was in the process of shedding a "party" reputation left over from the ’80s. Weekends in the dorms were punctuated by drunken commotions at night, with the aftereffects of overindulgence appearing in the form of vomit in the hallways and sinks (as well as hungover floormates). My reaction then was "That's revolting!" The effect was that I swore off drinking at all, ever, and became rather self-righteous about it.Even years later, in my twenties, when someone might offer me a glass of wine or a beer at a social gathering, I'd be firm: "I don't drink." And I'd quietly judge them, telling myself that I was morally better for never touching the stuff, even when it was clearly in a responsible context. In my mind, I was determined to be the mirror image of those drunken college students. What I didn't realize was that in doing so I was letting myself be dictated to by the culture of alcohol—just in reverse.

About a year or so ago, I started rethinking my position. I started to get the feeling that my attitude made me a prig, not a righteous person, and it slowly started to dawn on me that "underage binging in college" was a different kettle of fish than "responsible social drinking in moderation." Even so, I didn't realize how judgmental I still was until I went out to dinner with a group of friends, including a mature Christian whom I really admire. I asked for water. He ordered a beer.And then it clicked for me: The issue isn't approval or disapproval of overindulgence. I didn't approve of alcohol abuse when I was in college, and I don't approve of it now. The real issue was my own insecurity and pride, manifesting itself in a desire to draw a sharp line between me and them, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate. Drinking: bad. Not drinking: good. Nice recipe for self-righteousness.By fixating on mirror-imaging an aspect of culture that I didn't like, I was actually letting it dictate to me ... with the added sting that I was fooling myself that I was free of it.

Sometimes following Christ means going 180 degrees from what our culture dictates. I'm learning about that, for sure. But other times it means taking a different route ... a more difficult one. It is our fallen human nature to look for the easy way out, and it is actually easier to reject God's creation than learn to use it appropriately—because rejecting it means you don't have to actually think about anything, while learning how to use it wisely and well means ... thinking.This is not a new problem. Paul even had to remind Timothy, "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23, TNIV).

I take some comfort in realizing that the challenge of not being a mirror-image person is one that Christians have faced since the very beginning.The only way to be free of culture is to follow something else—or rather, someone else. Much of what Jesus calls us to do runs deeply counter to what our culture tells us ... but He calls us to be even more radically counterculture than we think. Abusing God's creation is not right ... but neither is it right to simply reject the good things that God has created. If we go against everything that could be abused, eventually we become enslaved by negativity, rejecting more and more of God's good creation in the name of our own self-righteousness. That's not the plan as Jesus tells us: He has come to give us life, and life abundantly. Not negativity, not mirror-imaging, but life.

It's undeniably harder to be a thoughtful Christian than a mirror-image Christian, but then, God doesn't let us off easy.But sometimes what's hard in the short run makes things easier in the long run. It's hard for me to give up my nice, tidy preconceptions about what's good and bad (especially when these ideas allow me to keep myself snugly in the "good" category) ... but in letting go of this particular one, I felt something loosen up inside. I let go of a little bit of my pride, a little bit of my tendency to be judgmental, and in some hard-to-define way, it makes things a little easier.

If being a mirror image to our culture's flaws isn't the answer, then what is? How do we stay on the right path? The idea is to hold Jesus firmly in our sights. Christ is the Light of the world: Let's set down the mirror and fix our eyes on Him.If there is any truth in what I write, it is Christ's alone.