Power to Be in God's Image

Scripture

(2 Samuel 15:32) While David was coming up to the summit [of the Mount of Olives], where God was worshiped, behold Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.

Observation

David--the rejected king, weeping and barefoot on this holy ground--prefigured Jesus' rejection and sorrow. Little could David have imagined that centuries later, David's Savior Himself would also spend the night weeping there at Gethsemane, fully understanding what David had experienced. But unlike Jesus, David benefited from the company of people who remained faithful to him. Hushai was one of those heroic ones. He rejected the shame of being identified with a rejected king. He prefigured us, who courageously refuse to become enamoured by the world's temporary promises and pleasures, choosing instead (even if mistreated) to be identified with God's people and purposes (Hebrews 11:23-27).

Application (Psychological)

Whether it's a nation, a royal family, or a marriage, the health of that system can be measured by its ability to maintain cohesion (a healthy spectrum of emotional bonding and autonomy) and adaptability (a healthy spectrum of stability and flexibility). Those two axes form the Circumplex Model, and, according to Beckvar and Beckvar (Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration, 2003, pp. 283-285), they are components of the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning (GARF), a familiar assessment tool in Appendix B of the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition,Text Revisions).

Ignoring the temptation to diagnose Israel and David's family, I'll note that Hushai had enough ego strength to resist the psychological and sociological forces that swept most the nation behind Absalom's leadership. Hushai "celebrated" his healthy sense of autonomy, his freedom to make his own decisions about his life and to be responsible for his decisions. From today's view, his independence looks like a psycho-social personal achievement, but at the time it probably seemed a fool's errand. It's great when history reveals the happy conclusion of such choices.

Application (Personal)

I, too, want to value autonomy. Civic pride, as good as it is, must be tempered by being responsible for my own choices, even if they're contrary to community choices. If I value autonomy for me, I should also encourage others to make their own self-responsible choices even while negotiating through relational differences respectfully. As much as I'd like to force people to conform to my opinions of what I think is best for them (for me, or for all of us), I can't . . . at least, I can't do that if I'm going to function like my Savior. Jesus chose tears and rejection rather than forcing people to act wisely but against their wills (I know that only too well). Because Jesus respects my freedom even more than I do, I realize how much greater love is than I'd previously imagined--Love is letting people define themselves while being careful not to lose my own goodness and identity. I want to be like Hushai as He followed Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the freedom You've given me. You trust me with time, with money, with influence. You trust me with decisions that have real consequences. It does no good to call You crazy or to deny that I get choices. You expect me to make my own decisions. You expect me to define my own values and to live with the consequences. It takes true courage to live well. Please teach me to be responsible with my freedom, with my life . . . with my inescapable impact on others.

New Clothes!

S

(1 Timothy 2:8-10) I desire that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control ... with good works.

O

"Likewise" is a key word here: what God said (through Paul) to one sex applied equally to the other sex. The Holy Spirit longs to adorn each of us in beautiful, practical clothes. He uses a clothes metaphor to describe His longing to beautify us through His well-designed, good works: our works, like good clothes, should be respectable (our inner goodness fits well and is obvious to observers). They should also be modest (we value goodness because it is good, regardless of whether we or others always meet that standard).

A (Personal)

I love clothes that fit well, that comfort and protect my body, that are appropriate for whatever my present activity is. The right clothes make me feel good whether I'm hiking, swimming, working, or sleeping. So, too, doing good, comforting others, choosing the right thing--all of that makes me feel good and look good (at least to people with good discernment).

A (Psychological)

Adlerian goals of psychotherapy is intended to help clients redirect their naturally selfish, self-absorbed and compensatory strivings and goals toward socially useful, self-enhancing values. Prochaska and Norcross describe it this way: "The paradox of self esteem is that it vanishes as a problem when people are encouraged to forget themselves and begin living for others. A solid sense of self-esteem can be created only by creating a style of life that is of value to the world. Live a life that affirms the value of fellow human beings, and the unintended consequence will be the creation of a self that is worthy of the highest esteem. Those who would be free from pathology must have the strength to carry the double burden of both personal and social responsibility" (Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis. 2003. pp. 76-77).

P

Lord, I'd never thought of You as my tailor, but the wardrobe You give me each day fits me perfectly. Each piece is awesome! Not only am I perfectly outfitted, they work together to help me look like You: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Thank You! (Joel 2:13; Revelation 19:8; Isaiah 61:10; Ephesians 6:10; Psalms 93:1; 104:1; 132:9,18).