Spiritual Makeover
Why is it that at a time in our culture when makeovers are all the rage ~ from botox to bust implants, metrosexuality to mate coaching, HGH to hair transplants ~ why is it that the spiritual makeover, the chance of being “born again,” doesn’t have more appeal? Have we become completely superficial or is there something in the born again language that is distasteful?
I suspect that many of us have an image of those claiming to be born again that is less than flattering. We may see them as religious zealots, too literal in their Bible interpretations and narrow minded in their social tolerance. But if there is such a thing as spiritual rebirth – the kind that Jesus offers Nicodemus in his time of darkness or the Samaritan woman at her well of emptiness – would we be wise to dismiss it because we don’t agree with those who use the language?
To my mind, the makeover culture is a clear indication that we, as a society, are not happy with ourselves. We are quite literally looking for ways to implant ourselves with new life, as many seek answers in surgery, not spirituality. Depression and emptiness have become opportunities for marketers of prescription drugs and those who claim you can buy confidence in the form of cosmetic enhancers. Rather than discovering a cure, we have created a new class of addictions.
The antidote to a joyless life – a spiritless life – is an infusion of God’s spirit that can only come when we admit our needs and our inability to fill them for ourselves. Like Nicodemus, we must be willing to come to God while we are still in our darkness. Like the Samaritan woman, we must acknowledge our thirst for something more. Jesus promises that when we do, the spirit of God will come as sure as the wind: to some as gentle as a zephyr, to others with the ferocity of a tornado. And to all with the miraculous gift of new life itself.
Posted by Rev. Nancy Allen
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