Before solving the problem addressed in part 1, I think I must bring forth another illustration that I always share alongside The Lens. For lack of a better name, I call it "The Circles Illustration" and it comes from Dr. Larry Crabb's book, Understanding People.

Here's the picture so you can follow along.

THE PREMISE

Imagine a circle that represents the maximum fullness, abundance, joy, etc. you can possibly experience in this life. Now imagine another smaller circle just inside of that one, which represents the degree of fullness you're actually experiencing. If these circles were exclusively about sexual fulfillment, that'd be one thing, but the point of this sub is to address the whole of the man and not only his sexual satisfaction, so let's look at this as being from the whole of your life.

The size of that inner-circle is constantly fluctuating. Sometimes it's really big - almost as big as the outer circle, but other times it's really small, and other times in the middle. That's because our experience of life is constantly changing.

The gap between the inner-circle and the outer circle is the degree of dissatisfaction we experience in life. It's all of those negatives you're pondering from Part 1.

Then there's the differentiation between how we are feeling from how we should be feeling. At any given time, our fullness might be legitimate and from the right sources, or it could be a product of relying on the wrong things. Likewise, we might feel empty without cause, or otherwise have good reason to feel that way.

NON-CHRISTIAN SATISFACTION CYCLE

For non-Christians, they tend to waver between two positions: illegitimately full and illegitimately empty. They don't have Jesus, so their fullness is only a hollow shell of what God intends for them, or as Hebrews 8/9 says, it's based off of "copies and shadows" of the truer heavenly things. Examples include:

  • Alex got a promotion at work and feels great about it.

  • Brahbrah's dog just got miraculously cured from epilepsy

  • Carl's wife just gave him a BJ for the first time

These are all great things and good reasons to be happy. But if they are the reason the circle is full, each of them are in for a rude awakening. Alex's boss might resign and the new boss fire him. Brahbrah's dog might get hit by a car. Carl's wife might decide that was gross and say she'll never do it again.

Now Alex, Brahbrah and Carl are all feeling pretty empty because the thing that made them full let them down. But again, this is a legitimate emptiness because God has a true source of satisfaction that they could draw from, but they're looking elsewhere instead.

At some point, Alex will probably get a new job, Brahbrah will get a new dog, and Carl will find another sexual adventure to try and they'll be right back to their "illegitimately full" circle ... until Alex's new job has some annoying co-workers, Brahbrah's new dog keeps pooping on the floor, and Carl's wife starts getting a series of conspicuously timed headaches. The cycle repeats itself over and over.

Eventually Alex, Brahbrah, and Carl realize that these short-lived victories are hollow. Life is a series of ups and downs and it's making them seasick. They realize that nothing in this world will permanently satisfy them. Life is meaningless. If God isn't real, suicide is a legitimate option. They finally identify with Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes. Their emptiness is now legitimate because they're not blaming the wrong things; they're finally realizing the truth of the world. And that's what RP is at its core - an acceptance of the truth, which is why secular RP will always be limited in nature.

To that end, secular RP compels you to live in that "illegitimately full" circle indefinitely - to do whatever it takes to keep yourself there, and even when you're not there to pretend that you're there anyway and to maintain the same mentality as when you are there. But what if you could actually be full all the time? Enter ...

THE CHRISTIAN SATISFACTION CYCLE

Many non-Christians never reach the third "legitimately empty" circle, so their cycle is a constant shuffle between the first two circles. Christians, on the other hand, regularly use all three.

When we first connect with Christ, we feel the abundance that comes with the Spirit of God. It's beautiful. Everything in life is a blessing, even the bad things - because we have an eternal perspective about the good that will result from the bad. Nothing can get you down when you're legitimately full.

Instead, we see all of these wonderful things and we stay up. But the reason for our fullness shifts off of God and onto all of the blessings he's given us. David was at first full on God, but eventually received so many blessings that he had to take a census so he could feel good about the mighty kingdom he was ruling, or look out a window to feel good at the fact that he could have whatever girl he wanted. Rather than experiencing the blessings as a byproduct of our fullness in God, we shift away from God to the happiness that those blessings bring us and enter the realm of illegitimate fullness.

It's possible but rare for a person to go from an illegitimate fullness back to a legitimate fullness. More often what happens is that those blessings wane (including by the fact that God has less incentive to bless people when those very blessings are pulling them away from him) and ultimately the Christian feels empty. But there is no legitimacy to this emptiness. Because the Christian has the Spirit in him, there is no reason he should ever have to experience that emptiness, even through troubled times. He can always be full and abundant in Christ.

Soon enough, someone will remind him of this and he will rely on God once more and regain a legitimate sense of fullness until the cycle repeats. Sometimes the Christian has to bobble between the illegitimately full and illegitimately empty circles several times before he remembers the true source of his satisfaction.

CONNECTING TO THE LENS

Part 1 references the hopeless cycle - that constant bobble between illegitimate fullness and illegitimate emptiness. When a non-Christian is legitimately empty, this is when he is most receptive to the Gospel, which is the mirror that will be the focal point of Part 3. The Gospel is also the mechanism that allows legitimate fullness in the first place.

What was the issue that you thought of in Part 1? Ponder that in the context of these circles. Which circle are you in? Are you truly looking to God for your source of satisfaction? Or are you thinking, "If I could just deal with this one part of my life everything would be fine?" That's the hallmark of someone who is in one of the illegitimate circles - whether full or empty. That "one thing" is not going to satisfy you unless it's your relationship with Jesus. Period. I make no exceptions here.

  • Alex might be thinking, "If I could just not have to worry about providing for my family, everything would be fine." This might be while he's unemployed. But he might also have this thought while he's crushing it at work ... but secretly knows that the tides could change very quickly, so he never stops looking to his financial success even while he is very successful. His worry about provision is probably rooted in a positive desire for security, and Part 1 starts to connect with him.

  • Brahbrah might be thinking, "I just want a companion in life," and be meditating on that both when her dogs are alive and when they're dying or having epileptic fits or pooping on the floor. Her desire for companionship is the direct good she needs as the subject of Part 1.

  • Carl might be thinking, "I can't take it when my wife rejects me," and even when she says yes he takes it not for what it is, but in the context of thinking, "Thank goodness she didn't reject me this time!" And even after 50 yeses in a row, he may still think that. His desire for intimacy is where he connects with Part 1.

RP PRAXEOLOGY

Now, it should go without saying that all of this is tied to several core RP traits, but opens the door wide on how they can be experienced and practiced.

The most notable is the abundance mentality. Our abundance comes from Christ, not how many plates we can spin or how much money we make or how much sex we're getting from our spouses. If you want the true abundance mentality, one that transcends the physical abundance preached in secular RP circles that only lead to an "illegitimate fullness," you have to be legitimately full in Christ.

The second is amused mastery. One who can see the circles for what they are and spot at a whim which circle he's in at any given moment can easily and even without thinking return to the legitimately full circle. He realizes that it's like the board game of "life." You roll the dice and crap happens - good or bad. But in the legitimately full circle, it doesn't matter whether your house burns down or you have another kid - it's all still just a game. You enjoy the good things in the context of thanking your good, good Father. You see the bad things and know you're still loved and protected under his care. You remain unphased because you have an eternal perspective about the world, knowing that it will all pass away. You've watched Francis Chan's Rope Illustration and think to yourself, "I totally get it now!"

The third is frame. When you are bobbling between circles, you have no frame. Your experience of the world is dictated by what happens to you. When you are legitimately full, nothing the world throws at you can shake you because you have a divine source of strength. You live under God's frame and have adopted it as your own. And when you live out that frame, others are drawn in and want its protection as well. Because of the Spirit's power exuding from you, you're the one to shape the world around you, not them shaping you - and all to the good of the Kingdom.

I'll let you all add to this list.

APPLICATION

So, I ask you now - and imagine yourself in a dimly lit auditorium, worship band slowly playing in the background, dozens of people praying and crying out to God all around you ... whatever gets you in the mood to think seriously and critically about your life: which circle are you in and why are you living there?

What is it going to take to get you in the legitimately full circle?

What's it going to take to keep you there?

What are the constant hang-ups that draw you back into illegitimacy?

Have you ever been legitimately full even once in your life yet?

Do you know people who are legitimately empty?

Do you know people who are caught in a vicious cycle - whether as Christians or non-Christians - who desperately need pulled out?

What can God do through you to bring yourself and others into His frame so that you can all be a beacon of light to the rest of the world?