Identity and Isolation

You know, there's something to be said about isolation, or spending time alone. A good majority of my friends have told me in the last few months that spending as much time as I do alone is bad or unhealthy. And to be perfectly honest, I believed them for the most part. Every time I found myself just sitting there alone, I felt guilty for some reason...I don't know.

This last week at church, the pastor was talking about starting a revolution, not like how Christians have tried modern "revival" things, but rather beginning to interact with the world, where the world is at. His main idea for the night was that before anything like this is possible, we need to know who we are. And not just, "Hi, my name is..." but what our identity is in Christ. His example was Christ's encounter with a man possessed by "Legion" (many, many demons).

If you want to hear the message or see the painting that the pastor verbally painted for us, visit www.rockharbor.org and look for the "latest message" link...or something along those lines. Or you can subscribe to their podcast.

Anyway, the reason this story/passage was used is because it illustrates the power of "identity," the power of isolation and it shows how identity can be gained/lost/manipulated. So this guy had lived outside of the "decapolis" around the area of the cemetery as a "crazed man." He was exiled by his family because of these demons that started taking hold of the guy and he spent many years living in this cemetery naked and alone. Christ comes along and asks the dude, "what is your name?" and instead of the guy (who had pleaded with Jesus to have mercy on him) saying, "Hi, my name is...Joe!" he said his name was Legion, because there were many demons; that was all he knew anymore. Why is this important? Well, the guy lost his identity...he chose to take up the crap the demons brought and identify himself with that. Later in the story after the 2000 some odd pigs drowned in the lake, the guy asked Jesus if he could come with him, but Jesus said, "no, you go home and tell the others what happened here." His identity had been restored and renewed. Cool, huh!

Well, there's a lot more to the message, but I'm a bit too tired to really re-live it for you in text format. So I'll just skip to what happened at Life Group on Tuesday night.

So, we're all there talking about other related scripture to the story of Legion and some guy decides to play all wise and authority on the topic of identity and isolation and then took the group in a direction that I don't believe the lesson or leaders intended...

He would talk about the social norms of that time and of that people and how everything happened for x,y and z; he said the man had no identity so he grasped onto whatever he could and it happened to be these demons in his life.... I'm not so sure. He had an identity, he just chose to look at the bad side and forget the positive. He was also saying the if it weren't for his isolation, he would have gained control over the demons and expel them himself, if there were good people to hang out with him and talk with him, etc. and that's why he cut himself (he was lonely and depressed).... Again, not sure. This guy was not about to talk to anyone seriously, the last people he did kicked him out of society.

Okay, now here is where I stepped in, I am not an authority on "identity" (Lord knows I've had my own identity issues in the past), but I do consider myself quite experienced with isolation and depression. Just so everyone knows, I'm not saying that what this guy had to say about identity is wrong, but it got away from the point that identity holds power. Think about it, when you were a little kid and you did something wrong, your parents would yell for you by your WHOLE name..."ANDREW AARON MUNDSCHAU, get your butt in here!" That's power! And let's not forget that God knows us uniquely and individually, meaning that He has a name that He uses for us. This name is what the pastor wanted us to discover, because knowing our identity in Christ, is power and strength.

Now as for the main topic, this guy with Legion, showed us what can happen if one seeks isolation for the wrong reasons or ends up losing site of the purpose. My friends are right, there can be such a thing as too much isolation; it can lead to depression and rash actions/inactions. However, and this is where I stand, isolation is a part of life. We all, at some point, want to be alone. There is power in isolation and alone time; Jesus knew this, why else would he go out into the wilderness for 40 days? Being alone gives us an opportunity to spend time with God that we can't do when other people are around, it's more intimate because it's just the two of you, anything can happen and anything can be said.

But, if one looks to being alone just to be alone, too much of this can lead to darker roads. I've been down these roads...and being where I am today, I regret it, but I appreciate it. Now I understand the struggle and the power of being alone. I'm aware of the different roads I can take when I am alone, and by choosing to be with God, I believe that I have found my identity in Him.

So, I guess on one level that guy in Life Group was right, and on another I am right....(wow, what a post-modern statement)...

I enjoy the alone time that I have (and it is a lot), but I also appreciate the fellowship that my friends bring...and both are needed to live a healthy and joyful life. Alright, it's late and my brain is fried!