Hiding Behind Your Filter
There he was; the man known for his great wealth and even better known for his lewd lifestyle. Zacchaeus was such a notorious sinner that when the Messiah said He was going to Zacchaeus’ house, the crowd jeered in displeasure. “Come down from there!” Jesus proclaimed as Zacchaeus was hanging out behind the leaves of the sycamore tree. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Lord without the Lord catching a glimpse of Him.
This is not the first time we read of someone hiding behind leaves as the Lord passed their way. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they heard the Lord walking in the garden. Fear captivated them. Overwhelmed by shame, they realized they were naked. At this revelation, they sewed fig leaves together and tried to hide the parts of them they did not want others, especially God, to see. They were trying to hide behind a filter.
“Adam, where are you? Did you eat of the tree that I told you not to eat from?” God said. Adam, quick to point the finger said, “It was the woman you gave me!” Then God spoke to Eve, “Eve, what did you do?”. “It was the serpent! He tricked me!” she said. Doesn’t this sound familiar?
We are Not Playing Games
The first family to walk the earth had a problem we are all far too familiar with. Let me put it like this. Growing up, my brother and I would get in the messiest fights when we were home alone. Almost every time we got in one of these tussles, we would break something. No matter how hard we tried to cover up what we did, somehow or another mom always knew. As soon as she would get home, while we were hiding, we would hear her yell, “Boys get in here. What happened to my…” and she would name what ever we had broken. Without fail, every single time, I would say it was my brother’s fault and he would say it was my fault. Then we would always hear her famous line, “We are not playing the blame game here. Who broke it?”
Isn’t it true that most people go into survival mode, doing whatever it takes to save face when accusation comes their way? Good people turn vicious when confronted with their own shortcomings and mistakes. They will cast blame at the first seemingly viable target they find. Hey, I have been there! Living with no filter means living with extreme ownership.
Embrace Extreme Ownership
It is time we stop looking for loopholes and just get brutally honest. If you are going to do this thing right you are going to have to own up to what you have done and quit pointing the finger. You cannot be free without being real. Quit pretending. Quit playing the blame game and embrace extreme ownership.
You cannot be free without being real. Share on X
Caleb and Ali live in East Tennessee where they serve at The Lift Church. With boldness and conviction, their deepest desire is to see the church revived and the world awakened. Learn more about The Lift by visiting theliftchurch.tv.
