Stop Playing The Victim

Idolatry is the sin that enables us to think so little of ourselves and anxious about everything, but at the same time treat the people around us with such defiance and dominance. We promote self-love because we've grown tired of waiting for people to give us the love we think we deserve. So rather than beating ourselves up for it, throwing pity parties and questioning what on earth could be wrong with us (self-hate), we've resolved to tell ourselves that we're the masters of our own happiness, and we don't need anyone to tell us what our worth is because we define it on our own. As Eleanor Roosevelt eloquently put it: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

And as nice as that sounds, it masks a serious problem in our culture that we hate to admit.

REALITY CHECK

Because we are broken and rotten to the core, there is no perfect way we can solve this problem on our own. Pride goes both ways, you know. If our hearts aren't craving for attention, possessions, prosperity, pleasures, or success, we avoid it like the plague. We see ourselves and our culture as worthless, and yet we still have the propensity to despise anyone who isn't on the same page as us.

Pleasures and success aren't necessarily wrong. Standing up for what you believe in isn't all bad, but it's when these things begin ruling in our hearts do they start to take a wrong turn. Our principles and desires must never take the place of the One who gave them to us. And we must still view all things in light of the Gospel. So when what we want starts negating the truth of God's Word, then we know when it's time to let it go and step back a little.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV)

As I type this, I can't help but think about the Women's March that happened earlier this week, as millions of people around the world rallied on the streets of their cities, fighting for what they believed was right. It's interesting to me that as we move from one generation to the next, the fight for one's rights gets so blown up and out of proportion. It's no wonder the older people like to think we're entitled - we invest so much time and so much of ourselves into this world, and we invest it in the wrong things. Things that have no real lasting value by the time we leave this earth. Sure, we can shake up the culture enough to leave a lasting mark that could echo even after we've gone. But we take nothing with us to the grave. From dust we came, to dust we shall return.

CONTROVERSIAL

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time we stopped playing the victim. We cannot blame everything on society and culture because, newsflash: you're a part of that very society and culture you speak of.

We can't constantly blame the men for their lust and sexual drives when you don't want to give up showing off some skin and want to get away with being scantily-clad in public. Clothe yourselves in humility.

Men, you cannot say it is the woman's fault for looking seductive in her dress or because she looked like she was asking for it either. You cannot pass the blame on the woman for the sin your own heart. It takes an effort on both parties to address this issue. Not suppressing the desires of one or the other.

Meanwhile, the pro-choicer will say that abortion is their right because a woman's body belongs to her and her alone. And the pro-life individual will contest it, claiming that all life is sacred (which is true) and yet still hands out condoms during sex ed (because "oh well, this culture is going down anyway, might as well"). Neither of these movements see the root of the problem, which is that human beings are still trying to find an excuse to have sex without the guilt or the consequences. Still many might reason that women who have been victims of rape reserve the right to their safety and well-being, but in the last few years that abortion  has been fought for, it has never been an issue of well-being, but merely of convenience.

THE HEART OF THE ISSUE IS THE ISSUE OF THE HEART

When people read what I just wrote above, they will argue that I cannot bring spiritual references into the debate. But how can I not? At the rate our values are going, it is evident that the world is only becoming more depraved as it ages. And what moral code can people still hold onto these days that will not shift positions as soon as the next wave of influence comes in? Is there anything that still stands Upright and True in the midst of this wicked generation? Some of us already know the answer. (A resounding YES) Which is why I think a re-focus is in order, especially for Christians. In the first place, we should no longer be surprised by any of these things, because God is not surprised at all. We can't expect non-believers to act, think, and understand the way believers see the world. So we cannot play victim when the unrighteous gets their way in our streets and in our cities.

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;

            Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

            Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.  

      Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

            Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. 

      For evildoers will be cut off,

            But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. 

(Psalm 37:7-9)

Second, if we are going to understand the whole trouble with our culture and why all these things are happening, we must first begin with the heart. Let's not think that we are better than any of them, because we are still among those in the world, and actually have more capacity to become like them more than become like Christ. Only grace allows us to live a life of repentance and obedience to God. In order to give mercy, we must first receive mercy - and lots of it. Praise the Lord that He does not give us as we deserve!

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

(Psalm 103:10-14)

Sin's desire is for us, all of us. And we can no longer be the victim when we've been given the weapons to fight against it.