Natural Man - Colossians 3:1-4

3:1-4 - It seems that there is a portion of the saints in Colossae that are diverging into extremes of the obedience spectrum and Paul needs to help them understand the happy medium. There are many who are going to the extreme of indulging their physical urges, but there are also those who are focused on completely getting rid of their physical natures. Paul urges both sided to “seek those things which are above… set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” This is a tough concept to get just right because we are physical creatures, we have to eat to live, we have to have shelter, etc. We are naturally drawn to other people, we want to be with a significant other, we are quick to anger, frustration, etc. So we need to learn how to address these natural feelings in a healthy way, but also must avoid becoming so focused on controlling our physical world that we can make room for the spiritual as well. The IM quotes Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin as teaching, “We can spend a lifetime whirling about at a feverish pace, checking off list after list of things that in the end really don’t matter. That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance- that is essential. As the clatter and clamor of life bustle about us, we hear shouting to ‘come here’ and to ‘go there.’ In the midst of the noise and seductive voices that compete for our time and interest, a solitary figure stands on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, calling quietly to us, ‘Follow me.’” I was playing a game on my phone one night in bed and noticed that every time I finished or restarted a round, an ad would pop up and I was really annoyed because I wanted to get back to playing my game and after a few times I started counting the length of the ad so that I could know how long I actually had to endure them, and they were 5 second ads. 5 SECONDS! It really made me stop to think that our time has become so valuable to other people that just 5 seconds of their product in front of my face was enough to be profitable to them. I still think that it’s crazy that 5 seconds is enough for them to impact my life, and even more than that, 5 seconds was long enough to make me mad that I had to wait through it. It was a startling commentary on both the value of my attention for such a short amount of time and my incredible lack of patience. That’s what life is now, very short bursts of loud, in your face marketing. So the question is, how do I balance the need to take care of my physical needs and that of my children, with focusing on the spiritual? I’ve struggled with this concept a lot because as a single mom, I’ve always worked a lot and I’ve been worried that I have neglected my kids’ spiritual growth as well as my own because I’m just always working. D. Todd Christofferson gave some excellent counsel in a general conference talk a few years ago. I heard it while I was driving to work and freaking about because I work so much and felt neglectful of my kids. He said that providing for your family is a sanctifying act. It was such a beautiful and life changing sentiment. My guilt disappeared right then and has been gone ever since. For me, the balance tips to unhealthy when I become obsessive about physical things. For instance, if I look at the cars around me and start thinking, “I want that one,” or “they are so lucky they have that car,” then it’s time for me to refocus. If I’m looking at houses for hours at a time and feel a sense of “I wish I had that,” or an “it’s not fair that I don’t have that,” then it’s time to readjust. Or when I think, “I could be rich if only I did this certain thing,” but that certain thing is dishonest or against the commandments. I think Jesus telling me repeatedly, “I could put $25million in your bank account right now if I wanted, but I don’t. You have what I want you to have,” has really helped because whenever I get a bit jealous of someone else or frustrated that they have something that I want, then I remember “you have what I want you to have,” and it helps put me back in perspective. I’m not exactly sure what Paul means when he says, “for ye are dead, and your life in hid with Christ in God.” One way that I took this verse was “your old lives are dead because of your commitment to Christ, so you are not going to be notable or famous or anything like that. Your lives are going to go largely unnoticed because your good deeds aren’t going to be done for attention.” The IM suggests that this might have more to do with having “your calling and election made sure.” Another meaning comes from the IM which says this phrase is, “suggesting that the life of a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ is secure in the Savior’s care in both an earthly and eternal sense. Such faithful Saints will appear with Jesus Christ ‘in glory’ at His Second Coming.” Perhaps the meaning come later when Paul says that Christ is their life and when he “shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory,” which can help us understand more of the meaning of Paul’s phrase.