College Union

I’m not particularly proud of it, but like millions of others I’ve been sucked in to American Idol. I have to say that I’m impressed by the lengths people go, both geographically and emotionally, for a chance to fulfill a dream.

At the same time, I’m perplexed by the lack of self-awareness and the skewed perspective displayed by many of the contestants. One lady in particular, obviously vocally-challenged, failed to be deterred by Simon Cowell’s suggestion that she seriously consider never again singing in public. No question that Simon can be a little rough on people, but in this case he was right. Did it register with the American Idol Wannabe? Unfortunately for her, no. Exploding through the audition room doors, she huffed and puffed to all of America that Simon wouldn’t recognize talent if it bit him in the rear end. Arguing that she had more talent than any of the other contestants, she predicted that we would all be buying her album soon.

I was talking with a student about this the other day. How can someone’s perception of herself be so disconnected from reality? Is it really possible to be so detached from who we really are that we fail to see who we really are? How much of life is wasted in a desperate search to become someone we were never created to be? On the other hand, how much of life is saved when we embark on a journey to become the people God has created us to be?

It seems to me this is the pivotal point of Paul’s encouragement to first century Christians, and by inference to us, on the serious matter of being spiritually transformed by what he describes as the “Christ-in-you, you-in-Christ” experience. Through the new creation, not only is Christ in us, our identity is now in Christ. Paul constantly pushes for a mindset and lifestyle congruent with that reality. He says things like, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Eph. 4:1). To paraphrase what Paul is saying, “Live who you are.”

None of us are immune from disconnecting our view of ourselves from God’s view of us in Christ. You and I can give first-hand accounts of how that kind of detachment leads to all kinds of mindsets and behavior inconsistent with the life we’ve been newly created to lead. The disconnection affects not only our view of ourselves and our experience of God, but the ways we respond to a wife or a husband, to our children, to a sense of calling, to ministry demands, to colleagues, and even to the students we seek to lead in the abundant life Jesus promises.

In an inauthentic culture our students regularly experience puffed up people with skewed perspectives, including Christians, living who they are not. God is calling students to embark on a journey to become the people God has created and called them to be. They need leaders who are constantly being nourished and formed by the “Christ-in, in-Christ” life to journey with them.

That’s our goal for the Spiritual Formation section of CollegeUnion.org. In the Nurturing the Soul of the Campus Minister section, we hope you will find the growing archive of articles, tools, and resources helpful to your personal spiritual formation. In the Nurturing the Soul of College Students section, we hope to come alongside one another to aid in the eternally significant effort to nourish the spiritual formation of the students with whom we walk.

Together with you in the journey,

Gregg Taylor

Categories: Spiritual Formation
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