We're rebels.

How rebellious being a Christian is. You read phrases like, "So-and-so rebelled against Christianity..." and "... rebelled against his family's religious views," but that doesn't make sense to me anymore. They didn't rebel against anything; they only succumbed to human nature.

I've been wondering what drove people. Once I found what got my motor rolling, I couldn't help but wonder what things drove other people to have ambitions and be productive. "I just want to." I was confused for a while, but now I see. There's nothing confusing about purely intrinsic motivations. Because in fact, that's what initially drives me as well. On the very top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid is the need for self-actualization--the need to be important to society, the need to use one's talents to full potential (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong). Big ambitions lie deep within every human being, from the beggar who frequents our restaurant to the president of Grady across the street.

But true believers rebel against human nature. Temperance, sexual abstinence, keeping of sabbath, etc. are lowly and even superficial compared to this ultimate defiance: handing over all credit and glory in life to somebody else. How many people are willing to work for a lifetime to make lasting contributions to the world, only to hand them over on a golden plate to someone else? If we work hard for something, get it, and no one wants to take it away from you, why would you give it away? If you're so fortunate as to reach the very top of Maslow's pyramid, why would you slice the top off and dump it on somebody else? You get the point. It's completely against human nature. Yet, that's the ultimate goal of a Christian: to actualize oneself as much as he can so that he can offer all of the glory to God. Now, that's rebellious. That's difficult. No wonder the Romans persecuted Christians so much. But that's what we are to do.

And that's what I am to do.