Do you feel a need to the "cleansed" in any way? How will you go about this? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary Edition, p.502).
The
felt need for "cleansing" is a deep and abiding need in
humanity. Much is done from this motivation. What is essentially
involved in "cleansing"? Let us first look at a few
examples of typical behaviors done to realize a sense "cleansing".
Just
this week Kathy and I have started bicycle riding to the Bay. For me
this is a chance to make a statement – when I come home in the
evening from work I will no longer be a couch potato. On arriving
home rather than looking at four walls, I will get out, get some
exercise, feel the wind in my face, and enjoy the beauty of our
neighborhood. Almost as important as the experience itself is the
mental attitude involved. It is a "take charge" attitude.
It is the sense that I can make a difference beginning with my own
life. It's a refreshing sense of control in which I have the power to
"turn over a new leaf." Most fundamentally it is also
realization that I have some control over my perception. The way I
see things and the experiences I have are at least partially up to
me.
This
sense of assertion, affirmation, and control can be found in
shopping, going on vacation, getting married, moving on to another
agenda item, and going to church on Sunday. Even though in church
emphasis is placed on God's capacity to cleanse, nevertheless the
fact that I am there listening to music and an inspirational message
testifies to the fact that I have some control over the theater of
perception—some control over fresh starts and reboots. "Recharging
my batteries" is not simply passive but also dependent upon my
actions.
In
this light the Christian concepts – but certainly not only limited
to Christianity – of confession, a sense of forgiveness, a sense of
renewal is a giant step away from passivity and towards
self-assertion. Cleansing and redemption are never minor matters in
the mind of man. They encompass the everyday as well as milestones of
courage and change. They celebrate fresh perspectives and that man
has some measure of control in at least the essential initial steps
towards this end.
But
what causes us to wake up and realize the need for change? We may
find it the result of fatigue, boredom, a sense of guilt, disgust
with ourselves, or divine intervention through the grace of God that
leads us to see the need for change. When a political candidate comes
to symbolize a sea-change in perception, it is not unusual for the
candidate to receive enthusiastic support almost as a transcendental
savior. Of course, from experience, we know our support is surely
overblown, but the deep human affinity for fresh starts, new
perspectives, and new beginnings destine us to irrational commitment.
Power is called the ultimate aphrodisiac. The intrinsic mental
rewards received from a sense of taking charge, of taking control,
has profound implications in a wide spectrum of human activities.
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