Strangely Dim
Hey believers, I have some questions for you.
Where are your eyes focused these days?
What are the things that have your full, undivided attention?
In what/whom do you place your identity?
In this great old hymn, we get a reminder of what can happen when our eyes, and ultimately our full and undivided attention, are locked onto just one thing. That one thing being our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Songwriters: Helen Howarth Lemmel
I guess I am just a little extra intrigued by the idea of the things of earth growing strangely dim right now because of how determined so many of us seem to be on keeping them in laser focus. In fact, our earthly "missions" seem to be the total opposite of strangely dim. In many cases, they seem to be demanding almost idol-level time and attention from us which is so distressing because of how dangerous a headspace this is for believers to be hanging out in.
Among many other things, scripture says the following about a believer's identity in Christ:
"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20
This verse is so crucial because it literally tells us that when we put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, we no longer live in and of ourselves, but Christ, who now resides within us, brings us back to life in a whole new way. I know, it's kinda one of those head explosion verses, right? Basically how I boil it down is like this; when I turn my eyes to my Savior Jesus Chris, recognize my incurable sin condition, confess this to Him in all sincerity of heart, and wholeheartedly accept His free gift of forgiveness and subsequent salvation, then at that moment I cease to be anything that I once was. The old Leslie is no more. There is a new Leslie that is solely identified with Christ because it is Him that now inhabits and has complete dominion over my whole heart and life.
So back to this idea of the things of earth growing strangely dim. If my entire identity is now firmly established around the fact that I praise, serve and live for Jesus who now resolutely lives within me, the things of earth don't stand a chance. So maybe the best question of all is, if the things of earth are NOT growing strangely dim in your life, what is keeping them from it?
My guess is that you may have stolen a part of your identity back from Jesus. I assume that maybe there is some cause, activism or advocacy that has highjacked a portion of your gaze so that you are no longer able to look full in His wonderful face. Maybe it's a besetting worry or lie that you tell yourself over and over again causing you to stew for hours on end that ultimately averts your eyes from Him. Believe me, we all do it. Every last one of us is guilty of giving preference to worldly pursuits, anxieties and "earthly things" over the simplicity of gazing upon our Savior because they seem necessary and sometimes even worthy at the time. Problem is, more often then not, they just result in our chasing ghosts that are more like shifting sands than solid rock and these ghosts multiply rapidly and without warning.
What exactly do I mean by this? For believers, it's a simple cause and effect relationship. Depending on where you've now placed that part of your identity that you stole back from Jesus (cause), your ghosts will now show up accordingly (effect).
If you placed it in your marriage/kids/home, your ghosts will have you seeing perfect little families everywhere that you can't begin to attain to.
If you placed it in your career/status, your ghosts will have you seeing endless greener pastures everywhere.
If you placed it in your life experiences, your ghosts will have you seeing unfulfilled dreams and people who always seem happier than you.
If you placed it in your health/diet/appearance, your ghosts will have you seeing false perfection in others while only ever seeing imperfections in yourself.
If you placed it in your past mistakes or failures, your ghosts will have you seeing God as disapproving and yourself as unlovable.
If you placed it in activism or a political party, your ghosts will have you seeing half of the human race as enemy combatants.
If you placed it in your skin color or ethnicity, your ghosts will have you seeing racism in people of different skin colors at every turn.
If you placed it in your gender, your ghosts will have you seeing sexism or misogyny in every other man who walks past.
If you placed it in your sexuality, your ghosts will have you seeing homophobia and discrimination round the clock.
The list is truly endless, but the pattern is always the same. Whatever it is that you place your identity in outside of Christ, the ghosts of that identity lurk in every shadow, behind every corner, and underneath every bed. They can not be escaped and they can not be tamed. Soon enough the ghosts always win out and an identity crisis starts anew. I'm exhausted just writing about it.
I also like what this article had to say about continually challenging the false beliefs that we sometimes allow to rule our thoughts.
"Sometimes, the lie is connected to a very real, painful experience. Take some time to grieve over the experience and invite God into the place of brokenness. After you have surrendered the lie over to God, pray that He will help you believe the truth about who He says you are and make you aware of times you do not believe it."
"We may not always “feel” forgiven or blameless, but the truth is, God sees us that way. This is where faith comes in."
So, believers, there really is an alternative to all this self-inflicted pain and suffering we put ourselves through during our identity wars. Let's revisit the hymn again:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
How in the world can we just make all the stupid ghosts go away already? Well, it's right there in the lyric. Turn your eyes upon Jesus... look full in His wonderful face. Notice it didn't give us a fraction. We aren't to look 1/2 in His wonderful face or even 3/4 for that matter. No, we are to look 1/1 in His wonderful face. For those math illiterate, that's a full gaze.
Let's not miss this either, the things of earth (or the ghosts of our other identities when they are not fully in Christ) are losing focus because of the light of the Lord's glory and grace! What can compare to the glory of the Lord? What can compare to His grace? Literally not a single thing that this earth can serve up. Platter after platter of lesser things are stealing our attention and we're voluntarily turning away from that glorious place where all the world's junk is kept in check. We just can't resist so we crack open the boiler room door, peer inside and just like that Satan now has the foothold he was waiting for all along and it's all over but the shoutin'.
Lord Jesus, help us to lay aside all of this inferior garbage that competes for our identities. Let us heave and kick and shove those ghosts back into the darkness from where they came and slam the door shut. Let us turn our eyes back to you and rest in that gaze that makes all that other rubbish go dim.
Okay, but practically speaking, how can we consistently do this in a world that is so chock full of earthly things vying for a piece of us? Let's head to scripture and see what the Psalmists have to say.
"May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion."
Psalm 20:1-2
"Listen to the sound of my pleading
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your holy sanctuary."
Psalm 28:2
"God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you;
my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory."
Psalm 63:1-2
"When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless
until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny."
Psalm 73:16-17
"For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."
Psalm 96:5-6
"Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness."
Psalm 150:1-2
I am no trained theologian, but there definitely seems to be something happening in the sanctuary. These varied Psalms cover themes of deliverance in battle, strength for today and most importantly, praise and worship to our God who satisfies, vindicates, and ultimately serves as our eternal hope.
So, how do we fight against identity theft? In the sanctuary. How do we fight against the ghosts that linger in every shadow? In the sanctuary. How do we self-regulate when we feel ourselves slipping off course? In the sanctuary.
Gathering together alongside fellow believers inside God's house each and every week is an absolute must for doing spiritual battle against those things that would compete for a slice of your soul. Singing praises, praying, giving, etc. followed by instruction in God's word isn't just a task to be completed on the weekly checklist. It's actually life giving and identity sealing if you allow it to be. If your heart is truly and authentically about meeting God in the sanctuary each week, He will absolutely make good on that appointment. It's that whole "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." thing. (see James 4:8)
Believers, to who or what have you asked Jesus to step aside for in your heart? Have you asked Him to sublet a smaller room in there from the monster that you've allowed to take over the place? Get to the sanctuary and fast. Sing those praise songs, kneel down at the alter, pray those heart felt prayers, and listen intently to the instruction of God's word while hiding it deep inside your heart. Allow this to be your routine each and every week surrounded by God's people who are also doing the same and before too long that monster won't know what hit 'em. He'll be sent packing and Jesus will once again have free reign in His rightful place once more.
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