I'm off to the gym in a few minutes... trying to get back into an abandoned fitness routine that though once had me in relatively good shape, but now has now left its weighty mark on my mid-section. Funny how age can catch you!
While I'm at the gym, I'm going to have my ear buds in listening to any number of artists in my "workout" playlist. That will take care of the auditory sensors available to me, but the "eyes" will still be available and Rob Bell has me thinking again about how subtle "lust" can be. I dove back into his book, Sex God (yes, the title is provocative) and he has again reminded me how brutally carnal we humans can be.
I'd like to think that with my thickening mid-section and not being the "body" I once was physically, that maybe, just maybe, I'm at least becoming more of the Christ-follower I long to be on the inside. But that is always up for grabs by our own assessments and by another's observation, I suppose. But for the past several years, I've really been working at seeing people with more righteous eyes.
Jesus talked about if a man even "looks at a woman lustfully" he has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Bell suggests that we are all "sexy" people because we long to be "connected" emotionally, spiritually (and physically) to the One who created us and, consequently, to each other. Of course, there are appropriate ways in which we are to be connected to one another, but when people "lust" and/or "act out" according to lust we circumvent the connectedness we are supposed to have for something much less. When we merely condesc
end to flesh, we are simply treating each other as nothing more than objects.A girl gets stares at the gym... shoot, a guy may get stares back... but what does that have to do with the "real" person inside? Objectification allows us to merely treat each other as objects rather than beautifully created beings... created in the image of God. And so much is lost in the process -- though our culture thinks it is all good and all gain.
Now... I've got my ear phones... but my eyes will be exposed. So, God, let me see all the people in the gym tonight with Your eyes... as real people... real beings... created in Your image... and may You glory in what You see!
3 comments:
Thank you for your insight... It can be a challenge in society to get people to look at each others hearts instead of our ouward appearances... it is another symptom of our instant shallow thoughts.. it is our Philosophy that guides our attitude and that leading to our actions... so we have to change our Philosophy's before the actions change..
This was a great read - thanks.
I believe the secret to success in this area has to do with seeing people the way Jesus saw us when He was a man. Remember He had only one goal: "to seek and save the lost." Interestingly, this is a nice contrast to Jesus statement about looking "at a woman TO lust," (poorly translated in NIV). Read correctly, Jesus statement is about the WHY of looking at a woman, not the results. For what purpose do I see her?
If we adopted Jesus' view, we'd always look at people only in one way: to help them become disciples - or to help disciples grow stronger. There's no room in that view for objectification.
I appreciate the comments from "Anonymous" and I am working on seeing all people as Jesus sees them.
Just read some interesing reviews on Rob Bell's book, Sex God. His views on the human relationship with God. My kind of book. Thanks for the link. Think I'll go to the bookstore.
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