Speaking as a
former stage actor, I can tell you that the costume department is an under-appreciated
part of the performance team. I have been in productions where a director has
asked a player how he/she felt in the costume...if they felt comfortable in the
"skin" they had been provided. I myself have gone through two or
three costumes before finding the right one...the one that made me feel like
the character I had begun to assemble in my mind.
It is so
important for an actor to feel comfortable in their outer appearance because
moving around in that skin helps them to conform their mental and emotional
state toward the created character, to align the inner self with the outer
appearance. However, in our life-long relationship with God, that principle is
completely reversed. It is learning to be comfortable with what's inside us
that helps us conform our outward behavior...to align the two.
Paul makes it
clear that when we accept the "free gift of God," we receive
"newness of life," a holy spirit within us that is "free from
sin" and a "slave to righteousness." Paul instructs us not to
"let sin reign in [our] mortal body" because the holy spirit within
us has the power to control our outer behavior...our habits of mind and body.
Before we accepted God's gift we were "free from the control of
righteousness," but now we are connected to that power.
We don't need
to change in an attempt to earn God's love...he already loves us and we are
already changed in spirit. We need to learn to be comfortable in that new
identity... loved... righteous... holy. We need to bring our mind and body into
alignment with that identity.
Are you comfortable in your skin?
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