Humans search for three things: absolute truths, a personal and communicative Being (to define and fulfill relationship), and eternity or lastingness. However, modern society has split its values, akin to a two-storey house. In denying absolute truth it has placed God upstairs, leaving logic and self-reliance downstairs. This separation creates tension and a spiritual hunger, as evidenced by mass consumption ofself-help books, constant redefining of love and marriage, and our social, economic and political ills.
Many Christians, myself included also live in two-storey houses. I wasn’t a difficult child growing up, but my life and values were like a two-storey house. Downstairs was what I presented to the world. Downstairs, people met the moralistic “dogood, say-good”, smiling, affable me. Upstairs on the second storey, negative emotions, cynicism, struggles with sin and temptation flared endlessly. After high school, I left for my degree overseas. In my second year abroad, I was embroiled in a conflict which caused a Christian fellowship that I had started with a few others to disband, broke up friendships, and sunk me into waves of depression. This episode would span another three years, the lessons of which I have condensed here into three parts: Recognize, Reflect and Resolve, with reference to Joseph’s own struggles in Genesis 39. Evidently, not all struggles are sin, but some struggles lead to sin.
PART 1: RECOGNIZE
Some people refuse to acknowledge or bury their struggles, often wondering why they behave or treat others in a certain way. The first step is to recognize.
Struggles come when surroundings change. Joseph has ended up in Egypt as a slave (vs 1), away from the comforts of home and the love of his father. Many of our youths leave home for college and find a barrage of struggles and temptations.
Temptations arise when I least expect them to. Notice that Joseph was greatly blessed and that God was with him (vs. 2-6). Joseph had caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife, and she could not resist (vs 7). Being children of God, we have the privilege of being secure in our Maker. We may seem attractive to the world, but pride may strike in times like these. As a young student, I had a lot to be proud of, but concurrently struggled with who I was inside. I strayed from my faith in the first semester, but later started a fellowship with some friends, and became proud and contented. A few of the youth shared that their generation’s message was ‘live for the moment, have fun and treasure your friends’ (how different from my bookish days as a teenager!). While it isn’t wrong to make friends, we need to ask ourselves where our foundation lies.
PART 2: REFLECT
Many of us, having recognized a struggle or temptation, immediately try to resolve it, only to find it recurring. A life of reflection brings many fruits, as it allows us to acknowledge the author of our faith, and examine recurring scars or patterns in ourselves.
Temptation tells me to claim something that isn’t mine. Notice how Joseph, when invited to sin, takes a step back and reflects on his circumstances (vs. 8-10). He acknowledges Potiphar’s authority over the house, but most importantly he recognizes God. Instead of saying “How can I sin against your husband?” he couldn’t bear sin against God. In our struggles and temptations, we often blame the moment, the circumstances, or even others.
Let’s look at the world today. Youth struggle with concentrating in studies, relationship problems, parents and their own emotions. Laziness is refusing to take responsibility of time given by God. Social media has promoted self-pride like no other technological tool. “Claim your own beauty!” it screams at you. Social media preaches that an individual has full control of their self-image, that they are truly loved by others, when in actual fact we are created in God’s image.
PART 3: RESOLVE
My journey back into a thriving relationship with God lay within a Sunday School lesson written for children in 1647 called the Westminister Shorter Catechism. I am thankful for a particular brother in Christ who encouraged me with it. In the 17th century, children learnt a series of questions and answers, the first of which is as follows:
Question: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: Man’s chief end is toglorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36) and enjoy Him forever (Psalms 73:24-26, John 17:22, 24).
We hear of glorifying God, but enjoying Him? That was new to me. Thus far, sinning was indeed a rebellious pleasure. Was that really my “chief end”? Some of the youths laughed at the old English (which is better translated today as ‘purpose’), but it reflects the truth about our lives. A life without a “chief end” is really not living! So humans really are left with two choices; to either live for God, or ourselves.
C.S. Lewis illustrates this enjoyment in his book The Weight of Glory, with a timeless quote: “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
I leave the beautiful connotations of his quote to your discovery, but in a nutshell, repentance and reconciliation happened, after which God’s holiness broke through the double-storey house and made it whole, followed by continual healing. It wasn’t easy. Joseph, though he did the right thing, went to prison for it (and was later blessed), and I am still rebuilding some of the friendships lost. Struggles allow for the Christian community to show grace and forgiveness, while continually expressing a firm stance on sin. In retrospect, that episode of humbling, of being separated from other Christians, was God’s way of making me whole again, on His terms.
Recommended reading which I am indebted to:
The Bible (Colossians 3 lays down wonderful God-centered ways to live)
Desiring God, by John Piper Westminister Shorter Catechism (1647)
Francis Schaeffer & Nancy Pearcey (writings on two-storey separation of values)
by Larry Nyanti
(Adapted from a youth talk given on 18 October)