As I have been reflecting on why zombies are such a big deal in our culture I am struck by a cultural fear that seems to be as alive as a newborn baby. We fear that we are, or will become, zombies. We live in times where we feel disempowered to make significant changes, anxious about the future and disillusioned by the oft-asked questions: What is real? Can my life make any difference at all? What's this life for? What's worse is that when these questions go unanswered we feel ourselves decomposing into nothingness. Into oblivion. Into the world that is more scary than dead or alive. Into the world of the "undead." We feel. At times. We seek. Always. But we are mostly numb. Numb to all the pain, change, evil and hurt that we perceive around us. Numb to all the decisions that are made that seem to be outside of our control yet have personal and life-altering consequences. We, it seems, are the undead.
Yet, and always yet, there is one decision we can make that restores our power, reinvigorates our joy and realigns our perspective with what's really real. This decision, one that must be made both once-and-for-all and all the time, has changed the whole trajectory of millions of peoples' lives. It has aided people to walk life more gracefully, more intentionally. For others, it has been the springboard for restoring their relationship with their spouse, child or self. The decision is simply this: kill the lie and resurrect the truth. The lie: you are, or are becoming, a zombie. The truth: you are loved, cherished, and alive. That's true. That's the truth.
God is not silent on this issue. And he uses this fitting real-life example of a person named Paul who lived around the time of Jesus. This man, a zombie in his own right, it's recorded, hated those who loved Jesus. He approved of others killing them and had as many of them as he could thrown in prison. He was a pretty important guy at that time and could make such decisions. It appears that his life was all about one thing: putting those that resisted his way of thinking in jail or in the grave. He did what he thought he was made to do; what he thought was good and right. Yet, he was misled. His desires were misplaced. He thought he was made to do this one thing, yet he really was made to do another "one thing." And Jesus let him know. In the book of Acts, while Paul was in the middle of his rampage to take out Christians, Jesus approaches him and asks a simple question, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Saul was his name. Saul, the hater of Jesus and murderer of Christians (literally "little Christs"). Saul met Jesus and, like being hit by an 18-wheeler, the entire trajectory and focus of his life was forever altered. Saul, now Paul, became a lover of the Creator and Redeemer, Jesus. He became one of the very people he sought to murder. Paul's "one thing" transformed from exacting justice on Christ-followers to offering the love, grace, acceptance and hope that is available to all who are undead. The hope that all of us who chase after whatever our "one thing" is, be it sex, alcohol, drugs, perfection, looks, money or a plethora of other self-medications (many of which are great things when used and appreciated for their intended purposes) which leave us spinning on that unending self-destructive rollercoaster of ups and downs and all-arounds, can have one thing that restores us and our world.
This one thing is God's love. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard this before. No but listen to what this reformed murderer says. Really. Listen. "God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. We are God's workmanship, created, in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:4,10). God's love has made us alive. We are NOT zombies! We are fully alive creatures that can fully feel, fully think, fully create, fully love, and fully give. We are a loved lot. We are the Creator's workmanship in which he prides himself. Yes, we were damaged goods. We were zombies. Wait, maybe worse than zombies. We were dead. Yet now, because of love, God's ginormous love, we are alive!
What are we alive for? Alive for intimacy with God. Alive to be loved and to love. Alive to live before others that loved people, out of knowing (both cognitively and experientially) that they are loved, love others deeply. Authentically. Without reserve. No longer is our one thing to devour, get one up, be better than, to destroy, to tear down, to criticize, or to take advantage of others, but it is to love others as we are loved. Speaking life when death is spoken. Offering love when hate is given. Showing, by our lives, that love is the better way, the better "one thing." It's about reformed zombies reforming zombies, not through shotguns and baseball bats (manipulation, control); but, through warm hearts, open hands, listening ears and all other various acts of love.
How Do I Make This A Reality In My Own Life?
- Be Proactive: Dwell on who you really are. You are not what you once were. You were dead, but now, because of God's love, you ARE alive. Struggle with knowing your loved? Find a verse on love. Stick it on your mirror. Put it on an index card. Write it on your hand. Write it on your car window with paint. Ok, maybe you don't want to do that! Seriously though, repeat it hundreds of times per day until you have replaced the lie (that you are not loved, useless, worthless, fill-in-the-blank) with the truth.
- Be Active: Live out who you are even when it doesn't feel real or is uncomfortable. It may take a long time for our feelings to match what is real. This is normal. It takes time. Our brains have tricked us into thinking certain things are real and rewards us when we feed those "fake" realities. Part of training ourselves to live in "reality" is acting on what's real now instead of waiting until the feeling shows up. They'll come. It just takes time! Pray for that person you have been holding bitterness toward. Send a love letter to your spouse or your child. Ask you child or spouse or friend how their day was and really listen. Just listen and be present with them.
All these little things add up! Before you know it what you once thought was just a nice principle (re: God's love) actually becomes a real part of our lives. We experience it. We help others to experience it. And it changes us. Slowly, often very slowly, we begin to notice that God's reality is becoming ours too. When God's love has become our "one thing" and we pursue it with every fiber of our being in Christ, then what we notice is this: that God's truth that we are alive is really real and that our own fabricated lies that we are unloved are not real at all. You are alive. Celebrate your life. And then go ahead, give it away, God's got lots more of it to pour in you and through you.
Your Friend,
Josh
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