Illustrating identity issues

As I discussed in Identity Part 2, rejection of yourself is one of the ways we rebel against God. I think the dialogue on two of the latter posts illustrates what I am talking about very well. I’m not picking on the commentors, but I’m bringing it up because it illustrates a common line of thought that is present all throughout the manosphere.

That said, I would gladly have traded 20 IQ points for a few inches in height. That would have probably given me a better chance to be a husband and father.

Normally, we tend to see these statements as fairly innocuous and ubiquitous given our culture. However, that’s not how it is supposed to be. It doesn’t align up with the Scriptures of God and thus should be rejected as an idea on a basic fundamental level.

“That said, I would gladly have traded 20 IQ points for a few inches in height. That would have probably given me a better chance to be a husband and father.”

I disagree. Those 20 IQ points should enable a man to understand how female attraction works. Of course, as said man learns about modern women and modern marriage…he necessarily becomes less enamored about marriage. Problem solved.

I would argue any man willing to give up 20 IQ points to increase his attraction to women would make a terrible husband and father. As bad as women these days are, they deserve a husband who can lead with some level of outcome independence.

This is an inadvertant post hoc justification. An answer such as “This is better for these reasons” dances around the root of the issue but doesn’t address it directly.

Revealing the lie against the Scriptures is good — the rebellion against the idea that God created you exactly as He wanted.

The struggle

Both men and women struggle with this albeit for different reasons.

Men, in particular, have a difficult time with this because we think in terms of generalizations the majority of the time. When we see a generalization that is true across the board, and we don’t meet that standard we tend to wish the opposite.

Women, alternatively, struggle with the issue of conformity. If they don’t fit or live up to a certain [societal] standard then they will often wish the opposite.

Very similar but also very different as Cane illustrates with the thought process.

Revealing the roots of the lie

A mindset like this reveals the passivity of victimhood and is reactive at the core. If only what? What is that type of mindset going to gain you? Nothing but bitterness, jealousy, and envy.

A rejection of how God created you creates disunity between the body, heart, and spirit. All of these are bestowed by God to us when He created us in our mother’s womb.

When we receive Christ we are sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit communes with our spirit. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil their eyes were opened and they were a slave to sin. However, as our spirit aligns with the Holy Spirit in our devotion to God through the Scriptures, prayer, meditation, etc, it realigns our conscience to prick us and remind us that we have the freedom to choose good from evil.

Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 illustrates this well:

Acts 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Thus, we believe the lie that we are “better off” if we were only “___” our heart, mind, and body rejecting themselves and are rejecting our spirit. This disunity brings on all manner of evil as there is nothing behind it except for the aforementioned bitterness, jealousy, and envy.

On the other hand, unity within the body, heart, and spirit in communion with the Holy Spirit brings joy and peace. There is no place for rejecting who God is, or who we are created to be in God, and showing others the love of God that all may come to know Him.

And you wonder why Christian men now lack confidence. Jesus, Himself, said:

Luke 11:17b “[a]Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against [b]itself falls.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. If you’re divided against yourself and the Father how can you stand?

As petty as it may be to think about and do, the reason why we give thanks in what we believe are difficult circumstances or even ones where we don’t like it is because giving God praise.

Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with [d]thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.

We literally draw near to God when we praise Him in our weaknesses. Even earlier this year I would’ve been the one to make similar comments about myself. I wish I had been born with less of an IQ and better social skills. Or I wish I would’ve been born a different way. However, the gifts and talents that God has given me He has done so for a reason, and the same with the weaknesses. It is to His glory that I use my strengths, and it is to His glory when I overcome my weaknesses.

Thus, call out the lies, and you will notice that you will become free indeed. Exposing the lies and embracing the truth really does bring His peace and joy.