Beautiful part 3
The problem with self-condemnation is that it disqualifies us. It goes hand in hand with the religious idea of earning something, or doing in order to be. In fact, speaking of the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, 2 Corinthians 3:9 in the Message Bible puts it like this, "If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this Government of Affirmation?" See the difference there? The Law of Moses (which demanded perfection--or beauty?--without being able to produce it) was the government of condemnation. The only thing the Law could do was point out what was wrong with you. But there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ. For those who know that Christ is in them. Because you can't get any more perfect than having Jesus, the Perfect One, living in you. You can't get any more beautiful than letting His beauty (that's already on you) BE on you. And when you know who you are, then you know that you don't have to earn anything. You can stop working (Spiritually speaking) and start resting. You can stop TRYING to be someone you (think) you're not and you can just be who you are. You can stop trying to put lipstick on a pig, or clean up the old man--who is DEAD, by the way--and you can look in the mirror with an unveiled face and see things as they truly are. You can see things as they truly are... because the light is shining. We see how beautiful Jesus is, and in seeing that glorious image we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. What's inside us comes out. Naturally. Because we are not under the government of condemnation--the Law of Moses telling us what's wrong with us--but we are under the government of affirmation--our heavenly Father telling us what's RIGHT with us! That's literally the difference between death (condemnation) and life (affirmation). Life is beautiful. Those who are truly alive (not just living, or scraping by, or trying to do as much as they can to get as much as they can) see this beauty, and revel in it. We share this beauty. We receive it and release it. That's why those who ARE beautiful DO beautiful things. Those who ARE righteous DO righteousness. Because you can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. And what's the most beautiful things you can do? Love someone. Affirm them. Don't put people down, pick people up. Help them. Bear their burdens with them. Don't condemn. Affirm. Papa Smurf said, "People rise to the level of love that they're shown." If we want people to "do better" we have to SHOW them something better. Give them a better option. A more excellent way. You can't bash someone into the shape you want them to be. That won't make them beautiful, it will make them break and crumble. But if you can see someone's beauty, and you can show it to them... I always say it like this: Don't tell people what to do. Tell them who they are. Because what we do flows from who we are. And who we are... is beautiful. That's the message of the gospel. That's what Jesus came to show us. And when we see it, we can be it. And we can show it to each other!