...and their glory is in their shame.

"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame." Phil. 3:19

I read that and thought, "wow, that's kind of harsh! Who would really take pride in their shame?" Then I sat back and actually thought about it and realized how common it really is for people to take pride in shameful things.

For example:

While surfing around facebook I came across many positive references to being drunk such as this catchphrase: "A hangover lasts a day but our drunken memories lasts a lifetime." (2 points if you read that and noticed that grammatical error!)

Some of the major movies over the last couple of years are based on activities that were once considered to be shameful. The Harold and Kumar franchise (more than one movie because it was so popular) follows two male adults who are under the influence of drugs (much like Cheech and Chong before it). The Pineapple Express is another movie that treats drug use lightly. In fact, one of the actors has admits to using drugs off screen.

I'm not going to continue listing movies, although I could.

As a teenager I remember entering high school and thinking that the coolest thing would be to go to a party and get drunk. During lunch I would hear stories of what people did on the weekends. They would entertain us with their stories of stupidity - their dumb actions (at least the ones they could remember.) The more stupid one acted, the cooler they became. More than once a student has shown up to school drunk.

Drugs and alcohol are not the only badges of honor in today's youth. I remember watching an episode of Law and Order where teenage girls wore bracelets indicating sexual favors they were willing to do. These bracelets were a source of pride.

I wonder - how can this be?

I can't help but think that these people have no hope or have lost their hope that they can be whole, good, righteous. They begin to see their flaws realizing that on their own they cannot escape these flaws, so they embrace them. They realize they are selfish - so they wear it as a badge of honor. "You don't like it, who cares?" They desire food and drink - they don't limit themselves. As Paul says, their god is their stomach.

As Christians, Paul calls us to a different kind of life. Our glory is to be in Christ Jesus. Our life is to be characterized by love. Paul gives us some advice as to how we should spend our time, instead of taking pride in our faults.

"Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Phil. 4:8-9