September 1, 2021

Many years ago, I worked at a place where one of the employees appeared to be very dedicated to his job and, to the rest of us, it seemed that he went above and beyond. When things broke, he was able to diagnosis them remarkably fast and fix them. It wasn’t until later on that we began to realize that he was secretly breaking things so he could be the hero when he swooped in and made them work again.

I thought of that as I reviewed the speech the President gave yesterday defending his directives and actions in Afghanistan. He wanted to take credit for “fixing” a crisis, much of which he made. I really wonder if he actually believes anything that he says. Is his core so politicized that there is nothing but a hollow echo chamber where there ought to be a soul, or some kind of centering belief system? How can he say things with such determination when the facts are so blatantly contrary to his pronouncements?

He is not the only one who has such a deep problem facing the truth about himself. Many of us lack “self-awareness.” That is a nice way of saying that our hearts are so deceitful that we do not understand how blind we can be to our own sin (Jeremiah 17:9). This is particularly true for those who are prone to be people-pleasers. Over time, as you attempt to be what everyone else wants you to be, you do not even know who you actually are. Survival is defined as morphing in the moment to gain maximum approval. It is also exhausting, since there is no soul.

I have no confidence in the leadership in the White House and wonder what things are going to be like 3.5 years from now. At the same time, my hope and security are not in the White House. They never have been. My hope (our hope) is safely secured in the throne of Christ. Here is the Leader who always spoke the truth, who made promises and kept them, who took full responsibility for his actions (which were perfect), and in fact, to our utter amazement, he took the blame for our sins. He did not try to distance himself from problems, but came to us, became one of us, and lived our lives. Over and over, he demonstrated that he can be trusted; in fact, he must be trusted.

Blame-shifting and denial have characterized sinful humanity since Genesis 3. However, because of Christ, we can be a people who accept responsibility for our sin when we confess it, humble ourselves so that we can see ourselves as we should, and accept the pardon that is ours in Christ. This salvation sets us free to live lives that grow in self-awareness and to realize that our failures can be forgiven and our cores can be convictional.

In a hollow world, such a life (and such a church) is needed.

Grace and Hope,

Bob

Sunday’s Text: 3 John 1-4