The Definition of Me

I am lazy.
I am impatient.
I am proud.
I am unforgiving.
I am selfish.

Every one of us could come up with a list like this, and ten times as long.  Our sins stare us in the face on a daily basis as we look in the mirror, recite our failures, and kick ourselves soundly before we go out and do them again.  It is tempting sometimes to let our trademark sins become a definition of who we are.  This is the world's way -- a classification system of various sins that people can adopt as a sort of disclaimer label: "I'm an alcoholic," "I'm gay," "I have anger issues."  But sin is not a book of stickers you can choose from to decorate your self-portrait, it's one big ugly sign, SIN, and it's either hanging over you or hanging on the cross.  In God's eyes, all people are either rebel sinners or redeemed saints.  There is no gradient line, no sub-categories to rank ourselves by.  Yes, those of us who know Christ still struggle with sinful actions as a result of being human in a fallen world, some perhaps more than others.  But instead of looking at our sin and calling ourselves names for it, let us rather look at Jesus, who has overcome our sin, and praise Him for what He now calls us.

I am a servant of my Lord.
I am chosen by my Creator.
I am a child of my God.
I am forgiven by my King.
I am a friend of my Savior.

This is what defines me, and knowing that makes all the difference in the world.

For sin shall no longer be your master,

because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14

Surrounded

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:2

Oregon is a very blessed state when it comes to natural beauty.  You name it, Oregon probably has something like it somewhere.  My whole life, I might have taken for granted a little the verdant forests and hills of The Valley, my homeland.  Now, I make my home in The Basin, which boasts its own brand of beauty.  The hills are a little higher here, and not nearly so green, but their formidable openness is inviting in its own way.  Here, the crags are not distant boundaries, but close in all around you like the walls of some fortress.  From atop the rampart, you can see the world beyond, and in the distance, a stalwart peak, painted white.  But down in the enclosure, it's a strangely secure feeling to look around at the heights against the sky.  Surrounded -- it's a truly humbling feeling.  It may be enemy forces, unfathomable heaps of earth, a group of good friends, or an Almighty God, but you're keenly aware you're just one small person in the middle of it all.  Every direction you turn, the same picture faces you, and there's no escaping it.  And maybe you don't want to.

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7