“These are just the cards I was dealt.”
Last fall I heard a pastor tell us this is a lie from the enemy when we say or believe this about ourselves.
I was whelmed with emotion afterwards. I realized I had been saying that about myself and people closest to me for years. Even though I knew the theology of grace and the way the Holy Spirit can change our hearts (Romans 12:3), I still refused to let the gospel triumph over the idea that “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” (2 Peter 2:19)
What’s more, and this may be harsh for some to hear, it’s actually a selfish belief to hold. If this is “just the way I am,” then the responsibility I have to change seems lesser. Or, in the case of it being about someone else close to us, we feel less responsibility to call them out on their sinful habit. Similarly to Natalie’s post last week, if a close family member tends to spend lots of money on unnecessary purchases, and we know they’re an ESTP, we can just boil it down to the way that person is wired and not say anything.
God calls us to more. In John 19:34 when Jesus is pierced at the cross, water and blood rush out. The blood represents our atonement and justification. It’s immediate. Water purifies us, sanctifies us, washes us clean. That happens gradually, over the course of our lives as we get closer to meeting Him. We need that life-giving water, over and over again, to cleanse us from the lies we are tempted to believe. He intercedes to teach us that through prayer, confession, and community. May we lean closer in to all of these.