A few weeks ago a lot of time and energy in my family were given to “back to school” activities, the primary activity being, shopping. I saw something in Zeeman that I found very interesting. It was a baseball hat with the words “Twins 45 Minnesota States.” If you look at the photograph you can see the logo is quite similar to the official logo of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. But the colors are different, the font is a little off and there is no “TM” which indicates a “trademarked” or protected logo. I regularly see people wearing t-shirts, hoodies, and hats with designs that closely resemble famous (and typically American) sports teams, tourist destinations, and so forth. It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But the owners of the trademarked logos (who are not making any money from the sale of these imitation products) would likely disagree.

Along the border of the United States and Mexico there are a number of cities that are essentially one city in two nations. El Paso, Texas has Juarez, Mexico as a next door neighbor for instance. Some Americans like to cross the border to shop. They might come back with something interesting like a chess set carved from stone or an item of handcrafted clothing. But they are as likely to return with a counterfeit Rolex watch or Ray-Ban sunglasses. When someone buys a counterfeit product they might be deceived into thinking they just got an incredible deal on a top quality product. But more often the consumer wants to attain the status of a Rolex watch and Ray-Ban sunglasses wearing person without spending much money. But the truth is the counterfeit products are not as good. They are not as durable, not as attractive, and certainly come with no guarantee.

Let’s make a spiritual application. This is the Ichtus blog, after all. When we want to look like an authentic Christian but don’t want to invest much (time, energy, affection) we are like the shopper looking for the cheap Ray-Bans. Our faith is not durable, it is not attractive to those outside Christianity, and we don’t get the benefits (God’s presence with us providing peace, joy, certainty, and so on).

We may at times choose that deceptive way of living, but I think more often Christians are like the deceived shopper. He sincerely believes but settles for an anemic or powerless version of Christianity. He thinks he has something good but again doesn’t really experience the benefits. That person believes that Christianity is primarily about self-denial (giving things up) and performance (following lists of dos and don’ts). To explain this powerless faith let me present an excerpt from C. S. Lewis presented in a paper called “The Weight of Glory.”

“The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

That baseball hat and my memories of shopping in Juarez (where I bought the chess set) remind me of the child and his mud pies. My prayer for all of you this year as you pursue your studies, enjoy your free time (in whatever small amount that might be), and participate in Ichtus, is that God will lift your eyes. That you will leave your mud pies and enjoy life with Christ. That your faith will be authentic—durable, attractive, and satisfying. That you will serve God well and find that any sacrifices you make are far outweighed by the rewards given to you by our loving Father and King.

You can read “The Weight of Glory” in its entirety here.