ACTING UNLIKE YOURSELF
Each year for Halloween, I dress up as the same character: Indiana Jones. It’s a quick wardrobe fix, since I already possess a leather coat and brown fedora. (I forego the whip, since I might be tempted to utilize it.) Dr. Jones is an alter-ego of sorts, so I try to get into the role. But this year I switched things up a bit and dressed as Mr. Rogers. I had lots of fun, but in terms of Halloween costumes, Fred Rogers is probably a “one-and-done” for me.
What's great about Halloween is that we have permission to pretend to be something we're not. Then, at the end of the day, we remove our "masks", and return to our actual identity. None of my "pretending" changed who I really am. I didn’t suddenly turn into Mr. Rogers or Indiana Jones, even though I acted as if I were.
The same’s true with our identity in Christ. When we say “yes” to God’s invitation, he gives us a brand new identity. II Corinthians 5:17 informs us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Let that sink in. If Jesus is your Lord, you are an entirely new person. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you’ve been; you’re a new person now! Thank God! Ephesians 1 describes this new identity in more detail. It affirms, we are “God’s delightful children”; we've been granted “the total cancellation of our sins” and “we are seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.”
But here’s the problem. Sometimes I don’t act like the identity God has imparted to me. Like wearing a costume, I pretend to be someone I'm not. It’s hard to believe, but there are moments when I don’t appear as God’s “delightful child.” (I suspect I'm not alone in that!) But... does that change the truth of who God says I am? Absolutely not! Acting differently from my identity, doesn’t turn me into a different person; any more than acting like Mr. Rogers makes me Mr. Rogers! I’m still God’s delightful child, even when my actions say otherwise. When I "act out", I expect to experience the consequences of my choices, but God doesn’t reject me.
One of Satan's greatest weapons is attempting to undermine our identity in Christ. Don't let him! When he whispers his lies, remind him of who God says you are. Only our Creator has the right to define us, so don’t let the voice of the enemy convince you otherwise....and by the way... it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!