Receiving Sight

Anais Nin was a French-born American author who was two people, so to speak. She was married to two men at the same time for a while and had one identity in Los Angeles and another in New York City. She was a confessed liar who kept what she called a "lie box", a big purse that contained all the documents of her two identities, things like bank account information, medical prescriptions, etc. She also maintained an elaborate filing card system that outlined all the lies she told so she could keep them all straight. No easy task.

Perhaps as an observation of her own life, she once made a profound statement on the human condition. She said, "We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are." In other words, we shape our world and life views through the lenses of our personalities and we judge things according to how they match up with the coloured vision of our personalities and character traits, our likes and dislikes. This is nothing new and there is certainly nothing new about Nin's personality and her double life. Many people are double minded. However, what I find intriguing about her statement is that she acknowledges a benchmark outside of herself that defines reality and truth. She tacitly admits an ultimate objectivity and sees that people live their lives subjectively, herself included. Not everyone will concede that. It's a brave admission.

The famous Scottish preacher of the 19th century George MacDonald made an equally profound statement about our condition and destiny (unless we change) when he wrote, "The one principle of hell is 'I am my own'". The Christian Church today could learn much from MacDonald but, sadly, much of his work has been forgotten. His maxim is what sin is; hubris, the root of all sin, says, 'I am my own king and will bend the knee to no one, not even the true King, the Creator of the universe'.

The deceptive nature of sin is such that it doesn't always look like a bad thing. Everyone suffers from a measure of pride of life whether that means smug family pride, arrogance with wealth, position, power, whatever. Sin is not always disgusting, at least from our view. In fact, every society has its respectable and cultural sins. However, once we have the proper definition of sin straight in our minds, we can begin the process of honestly stepping away from it. Step 1 is to acknowledge, as Nin did, that we are all selfish and all about ourselves to one degree or another. Step 2 is to acknowledge that there is an Ultimate Other apart from ourselves that defines right and wrong. Step 3 is to acknowledge that God is God (and we are not) and to seek His forgiveness.

When we study the religious leaders through the ages there is no shortage of information about their personality traits. All were noted for their charisma, their ability to attract and have people follow them - all, that is, except one. In his Old Testament prophecy, Isaiah described the coming Messiah as having, "no form or majesty that we should look at him, and beauty that we should desire him". In a post script on Jesus' life, the Apostle Paul wrote that, "although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a slave" (Phil. 2:6-7). About Himself, Jesus said, "I can do nothing from Myself. As I hear, I judge and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent me" (John 5:30).

Jesus was empty of 'self' and filled with love for His Father. He had no agenda except God's. He had no religion except devotion to His Father, both inwardly and outwardly.  He was free because He loved His Father and did what He ought - and this was His utter delight. He would go to the cross and die for the sins of undeserving people because it was His Father's will to save the unworthy. Jesus, more than anyone else, could see things as they really were precisely because He wasn't absorbed with 'self'. He was not His own and His sight was perfect.

For our part, we would do well to heed the words of C.S. Lewis who said, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."