Me, Myself, and I

The motto of my generation (and those who have followed it) seems to be rather Shakespearean: "This above all: to thine own self be true." It's a quote from Hamlet, which no one would read if our high school English teachers didn't make us (sorry, Bill), so I suppose most people would say something more along the lines of "always be yourself."

We're inundated by it, encountering it at every turn. It's the driving force behind the LGBTQ movement, both in terms of marriage equality and the now infamous bathroom debate. It's the philosophy behind humanism and extreme individualism. It's the fake theology which allows for any type of sin whatsoever. The person must at all times be allowed to do whatever he/she wants, without constraints, because the individual is simply expressing who they are, and being forced to do otherwise (i.e., change) is tantamount to abuse.

If I had two weeks, I couldn't list everything wrong with that line of thought, so let me just give a single reason why it doesn't fly with me: it's unbiblical. At no point do the Scriptures tell us to follow our infallible hearts and do whatever it takes to be happy because that's truly who we are. Instead we are called to take up what one gospel song calls the cross of self-denial (Luke 9:23,14:27, etc.). We die to ourselves. Who we are dies so we can become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We stop saying, "I must be true to myself," and vow instead, "I must be true to who God has called me to be." And that's compulsory for each and every one of us.

Come, my friends. It's time to take up the cross one more day. Something -- someone -- better awaits.