The Real Me . . . Psalm 51

So much of our day to day routine is wrapped up in making us into something that we really aren't. Young people pierce themselves all over. Tattoos are all the rage again. Hair styles are constantly on the change (for those who can grow hair still). With Mohawks, mullets, shaved heads, spikes for the young and hair weaves, plugs, and dye jobs for the not so young, as a culture we are constantly trying to change our image. Why? I would have to speculate that we are not satisfied with who or what we are. From the time that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, man has been trying to rid himself of the image of God because it reminds us that we are accountable to Him.

In Psalm 51, David finally gets to the understanding that no matter how much he pretended on the exterior, God really knew what he was on the inside. David had done such a good cover up job, that he really thought no one would find out about the adulterous relationship he had with Bathsheba. David might have even thought he would come out as the savior of a suffering widow who was all alone and pregnant. But the truth for David is the same for us. No matter how you cut your hair and dye it, no matter how many piercings, and tattoos you get, the real you is still there and that can't change without help from the One who created you.

Though David had schemed and planned perhaps one of the best cover-ups of all time, he still knew that deep down inside the real David was still there. "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm 51:2) Perhaps the biggest lie we tell is to ourselves when we try to hide the real person within. It is easy to criticize David for the great lengths that he took to cover his sin up, but how many of us tend to do the same things? Our thoughts of immorality, covetousness, greed, pride, envy, lust, hate, anger, etc. are easy to keep hidden from those around us. We even go to great lengths to rationalize our sin and find others who are comfortable with it.
David though was very quick to point out the truth that "my sin is always before me." (Psalm 51:3). We may try very hard to cover over and cover up but what we are is never really hidden to ourselves. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but we can never fool ourselves and more importantly we can never fool God. David declared "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts." (Psalm 51:6). Maybe we like Gatorade ought to ask "IS IT IN YOU?" about truth.
Truth is most of us don't like the REAL ME because it is exactly who we are. Like David we should ask the only one who can change things to do some cleaning up in our lives. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:10-11)

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