Is it the default setting of all human beings to continually fight for our rights? I'm not sure if this is common to all humanity or more common to the American culture. All I know for sure is that it is all too often my default setting and I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing. For example, I have my day planned out, and then someone or something happens that upsets the way I had planned to spend my time. I become annoyed that my rights to spend my time the way I want to has been violated.
In our culture, fighting for our rights seems to be a badge of honor. We have taken the words of the Declaration of Independence that we are "endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and we have made the pursuit of happiness our god. We think that anything standing between me and my pursuit of happiness is an infringement on my rights-even if my pursuit of happiness is trampling all over your rights!
Am I saying that we never stand up for ourselves or never say no to others who would take advantage of us? Not at all. What I'm saying is that we aren't always the best at judging when we are being wise in setting boundaries and when we are being selfish. We need Someone wiser that us to give us direction in our lives.
"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." Philippians 2:5-8 The Message
Jesus laid aside His rights as deity and became human. He died to become our Savior and our Lord. Jesus earned the right to become the boss of our life!
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
I think that means more than just kneeling at an altar and making a one time commitment. I think it means a daily surrender of ourselves, our time, our money, our gifts and talents, our everything to God. It's trusting Him enough to allow Him to be in charge of how He wants us to spend those things. It's being less focused on fighting for our rights and more focused on relinquishing our rights to the one Who earned the right to direct our lives. We can trust Him. We can even trust Him with our rights.
O Lord, You have pleaded the causes of my soul [You have managed my affairs and You have protected my person and my rights]; You have rescued and redeemed my life! Lamentations 3:58
Elizabeth, fighting has become such a way of life that at times, I wonder if we're even sure of what we are fighting for. I'm praying that I will "become less focused on fighting for my rights and more focused on relinquishing my rights to the one Who earned the right to direct our lives". Blessings!
ReplyDeleteSo true! Daily yielding and surrendering to God is so necessary in my life to keep self and selfishness from running amok!
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