Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday April 14, 2009

On Sunday past I became for a short while, the mythical Longinus, and in the first person retold the Christ story, briefly, in the full costume of a Roman Centurion of the period we call 30 AD to 68 AD. I had a grand time and the musical part of the drama was a blessing. In the script, I had Longinus as the great grandson of one of my ancient world heroes, Marcus Tullius Cicero, the last great patriot of the Roman Republic prior to the dictatorship imposed by Julius Caesar. Cicero lost his head and hands to the Roman axe over his opposition to the tyranny of Caesar.

Cicero stated a truth that will benefit anyone, right or left when he spoke of authenticity in our personal life:

"Everyone has the obligation to ponder well his own specific traits of character. He must also regulate them adequately and not wonder whether someone elses's traits might suit him better. The more definitely his own a man's character is, the better it fits him."

When you stop and think about it, almost all human beings spend a great part of their life pretending, mimicking certain traits of others. I comment on this often for all studied folks know that this tendency is spiritual and emotional suicide. God put us on earth to accomplish certain tasks and thereby help others of the race along the way. When we take too much time learning to "be" others, we thereby rob others of the race what we could and should deliver to them in the package God made out of us.

That our natural bent must be regulated, in the case of Christians, controlled by the bounds stated in the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is well attested by the Word, the Spirit, our own conscience, and common sense.

Most of us look back and chuckle at our childhood impersonations of our then heroes. As a boy I just knew that most people mistook me for Tarzan. My little sister for Cheeta.

The bulk of my adult life has been spent around clergypersons. A man asked me the other day about a fellow clergyperson and the only answer I could give was:

"I don't know, for it all depends on which famous preacher he is pretending to be on the day you speak with him."

Humorous; until you think about it.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE." John 8:32

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2009 Use with credit

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