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Today's Bible reading is short and to the point. It says...
For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
I have found that, when it comes to victor living, we can't trust all we see in the way we thought we could. Our eyes play tricks on us when we trust what we see as proof of who we are. The things that happen to us in this life just don't cut it as far as identity is concerned.
It's like that mirage in the desert. What looks to be a wonderfully refreshing body of water just on the horizon is actually the heat playing tricks on your eyes. So it is in life when we look to the things we do and/or our circumstances as proof of who we are. What looks to be so perfect for our situation turns out to be nothing more than this world playing tricks on us.
I love how The Message takes today's reading and expands on it. Check out what verses 7 and 8 say from The Message.
That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. 2 Corinthians 5:7-8 (MSG)
It is when we choose to live by sight that victim living can take such a hold in our lives. I'm not talking about walking around like a blind person with that last statement. Living by sight means that we look to the success of what we do and to the relative goodness of our circumstances as proof of who we are and who this God is in our life. That way of living is what will make victim thinking much more of a reality in our lives.
It is when we choose to live by faith and not by sight that life starts to make a lot more sense. Faith is believing in something we are not yet able to see. Faith is holding onto a hope for something better that what we may be experiencing right at this moment.
Walking by sight is such a roller coaster way of living. One moment we are high as a kite with all the goodness in our lives. The next we are lower than low when life seems to be coming against us from all sides. When we walk by sight we are doomed to let our circumstances dictate our behavior in ways that can cause others pain. Walking by sight makes it possible to let victim thinking make victims of those around us.
Walking by faith is so much easier said than done. We are such a sight based species. It is so much easier to trust what we see than what we can't see. Problem is that, we really can't trust what we see when it comes to who we are. Faith is all that I have found that works when it comes to making this life more of what I think God wants it to be for me.
The last line of Peterson's translation of our Bible reading highlights why faith is so important in this sight based world. We are currently living in exile. We really don't belong here. There is a homecoming waiting for us that will put this life into the correct perspective. Until that homecoming happens, we can make the best of this exile by believing what God says about us is true.
Circumstances don't define who we are. God does. It is when we let our view of identity be shaped by how good our life is that life becomes less and less tolerable. God has said we are His Child. That makes us the victor our souls long to be. Walk in the faith that what God has said about you is enough. Walking in that faith is what makes the power of being a victor change the world around you today.
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