Women In His Image

My life has had a theme of “longing” lately. Longing for things of the world: to be pregnant, to have financial security and creature comforts, to feel like everything is safe around me and I am loved. Praise the Lord, in the midst of it all, He has drawn me into his Word so that my worldly longing can have the proper context. God has asked me to allow my longing to be defined by who He is.

What is this longing that I feel? It is a direct result of the Fall. “Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:23-24) Who can even begin to imagine the feeling of longing and sorrow that Adam and Eve experienced as they looked back over their shoulders to the Garden, knowing that they could never return to the paradise lost? Can any human being imagine losing the unique fellowship that our original parents had with God Himself?

The Israelites, our adopted brothers and sisters, experienced 400 years of longing for the fulfillment of God’s promise to them. “Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.’” (Genesis 15:13-14) Homeless, transient, living in tents, year after year, generation after generation trusting that God would not abandon them in their affliction. The writer of Hebrews further describes the faith of our Patriarch fathers: “By faith he (Abraham) went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:9-10)

Even Moses, after freeing his people from the Pharaoh, receiving the law from the very finger of God, and leading Israel to the banks of the Jordan would go to his death without entering the Promised Land. “And the LORD said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, “I will give it to your offspring.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.’” I cannot imagine the bittersweet tears that Moses must have shed on the water’s edge as he gazed upon the land that he would not inherit.

The Psalms are full of the longing of the great King David. When I read his words I can hear his choked sobs as he pleads with the LORD to pull him out of the pit of darkness and not forsake him as he breaks under the burden of his pain. “O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes–it also has gone from me.” (Psalm 38:9-10)

And finally, I am overwhelmed by the longing of Creation itself: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:18-23)

All of creation lives with longings not yet fulfilled. We dwell in the land before the promised land. We exist between the “now” and the “not yet.” And yet we too have a promise. “For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened–not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5)

We think that we long for things of the world and that these things will truly satisfy us. But our true longing is for what was lost in the Fall–a return to paradise. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:1-2) We long for that which only God can completely provide.

I try to be a runner. I really do. I have tried to be runner for about 15 years and I think running and I have finally made friends. Running used to be part of my eating disordered behavior since I considered running the only exercise worth doing because it burned the most calories. Nevermind the fact that I hated every minute of it and my knees and ankles complained for hours after I was finished. My latest attempt at running on a regular basis has lasted almost 9 months and it finally feels right because I’m doing it for the right reasons. I’m doing it because I allow myself to go at my own pace. I allow myself to be patient and enjoy the solitude. And best of all, I’ve found running to be very conducive to spending time with God. I think He likes the opportunity to talk to me while I’m pounding the pavement.

There are many references in New Testament Scripture to running, the race, and the prize. I remember in high school, the theme of one of our Fellowship of Christian Athletes conferences was Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The message being that we should view our Christian life in the same way that we viewed our efforts to win the game/race/match — the ultimate goal of our running (ie, our Christian life) was winning the prize (ie, Christ). However, I don’t recall that we actually talked much about the quality of the running. So, I ask myself, is the prize the whole point of running the race? or could the prize also be in the running itself?

Of course, our reconciliation to God through Christ is the “point” of this life, but I think that God cares very much how we run the race set before us. Hebrews 12:1-2 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I notice that in my ESV the word “endurance” (in some versions “patience”) is used in verse 1 to characterize our running and in verse 2 the word “endured” is used to characterize Christ’s work on the cross. Reading the Bible in English, I think it is easy to mistake these words as being the same or similar. I think it is important to learn that, in the Greek, two different words are used in these verses and the differences between these words are important. 

In verse 1, the word “endurance” - used to describe us - is translated from the Greek word “hupomone” which Strong’s dictionary describes as “cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).” Thayer’s dictionary goes further in describing this word as “steadfastness, constancy, endurance: in the New Testament the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.” In verse 2, the word “endured” - used to described Christ - is translated from  slightly different Greek word “hupomeno” which Strong’s describes as “to stay under (behind), that is, remain; figuratively to undergo, that is, bear (trials), have fortitude, persevere: abide, endure (take) patient (-ly), suffer, tarry behind.” Again, Thayer’s dictionary goes a bit further to describe this word as “to remain, ie, abide, not recede or flee, to preserve, to endure, bear bravely and calmly ill treatments.”

Do you see the difference? It makes my heart ache. While we struggle daily running our race, complaining that our burdens are too much to bear, there is a hopeful and even cheerful nature to our enduring because we are waiting, after all, on the promise that is eternity with the Lord. Christ’s endurance, however, was marked by remaining behind, patiently suffering His unimaginable burden because He would not forsake us and leave us without salvation.

I will run. I will endure. And it will all be because of the endurance of my Savior.

Some of you may be familiar with the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty.” I became aware of it through their print and TV ads over the last few years featuring real women with real bodies smiling and (I think) happily thumbing their noses at the “ideal” ultra-thin supermodel type. We all know the type…we’re assaulted with it regularly by the magazine rack in every grocery store aisle in every supermarket in every city across America.

Little did I know all of the wonderful aspects of this Campaign! I think Dove is taking the issue of positive self esteem for women and girls to a new level in the advertising industry. There are links for Moms and mentors, information on “real beauty” workshops, short films about body image and self-esteem, and lots more.

Check out the powerful video at the link below. In the words of Kathy, my aunt/friend/sister in recovery who sent me the link: “This is a really powerful message. Especially if you have a daughter or ever were a daughter.”  Right on!

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home.asp