The Privilege

It’s a word we cringe at. It’s a word we may try to ignore. It’s a word we redefine based on our whims and wishes. It’s a word that’s at the heart of Jesus but so far from our own at times. It’s a word we struggle with, yet hold as a banner high over our heads in hopes that our cheerleading outperforms the game we are actually playing.

Righteousness. One little word. But such as big “weight.”

Raising kids will bring to mind for most parents the occasional talk sessions where we remind them that much of what they have is a privilege and not something we are required to give. The basic human needs are all requirements, but all else… is fair game. Learn to love the privileges AS privileges and you’ll probably end up with more of them. It sounds logical to a parent, not necessarily to the selfish, inexperienced child.

This came to mind recently. When I pray each morning I pray on the Armor of God. Part of that is praying on the Breastplate of Righteousness. We easily sing the song, “To Be Like Jesus,” but it’s another to live it. Really… do we truly desire to be like Him? Often we stomp our feet at what we don’t get to do rather than what we get to do. We think of things we “miss out” on in our human efforts to “be like Jesus” – to be righteous – and look for ways to move the line or change the definition. Somehow, I don’t think He would think we’d be missing out on anything.

Righteousness is a privilege.

If I truly want to be righteous then our thinking about it has to change. Instead of trying to just make it through each day hoping we can survive “missing out” or being tempted, perhaps we should embrace righteousness in a way that makes us love it, instead of just be able to stand it. Not with haughtiness or pride, but a true love deep inside for the purity of it. If we are going to wear the Armor, it shouldn’t be something we hate to wear,  but rather love to wear because it protects us and identifies us with Him.

Satan’s method from the beginning of time has been to make humanity feel like they are missing out on something. For many, being righteous does nothing more than taunt them into thinking Christianity is a burden – something to hold them back from really living. But when righteousness is loved, it isn’t difficult. It’s joyful. It’s desired. It’s never hard. It’s easy to wear and not a burden.

Instead of prayers being saturated with pleas to help us keep from sin, it may behoove us to change our thinking and simply ask that we can love righteousness the way God does. To see righteous the way He does. To feel it. To embrace it. And I mean, to stop and not be so quick to say we are righteous that we don’t even take the time to really ponder if our actions are just cheerleading us, or playing the game.

When we can do this, the actions come automatically and in the process we are changed, and we really do become like Him. But it takes a concerted effort to ask and to stop and question ourselves. Do we really love righteousness, or are we just dealing with it enough to give us the appearance of loving it? Maybe the answer would come if we ask ourselves, “If I could change God’s mind about what He thinks is righteous, would I?” Or, would His ways be enough, even if He no longer required it?

Perhaps we need to simply grow up, stop stomping our feet and pouting because we aren’t getting our way, and see the privilege we’ve been given – to know Him, and His righteousness, and have the opportunity to join Him in it.

If you love it, you want want to leave it.