The story...
About sixty guys lived on my dorm floor. There were about sixty girls who lived on the girl's floors too. There was a type of guy who was noticed and included in the groups that I wanted to be a part of. So, I wore the right clothes, went to the same places, performed the same rituals, and suffered along the way.
One term, my roommate and I decided to "buck the system" - rebel. We wore t-shirts, bibs, and tennis shoes without socks. We piled our dirty clothes on the couch yet friends still crowded in our room to hang out. Although we were being rebels of a sort, new social norms were being established - others started to behave like us. I'm glad we cleaned up the next term. It was fun but it was no place to stay.
Living vicariously means living life through another person. It seems like most people do it yet it often leads to stress and unhappiness. Put on a mask, play a role, try to fit it, be part of the group, please people, and possibly idolize the leader. A better way is to be yourself already. Live in the present with an honest appreciation of you. Why not appreciate the joys of being alive today as we truly are?
George idolizes Tony
The people in the only church in town would work out their own faith together. The group relationships will be important towards their growth, yet their most important relationship will be between them and God. Their wise pastor would recognize the pitfall of being idolized - the group living vicariously through his life of faith. He would, succinctly and directly, point them back to their true Savior lest he begin to enjoy being treated as a type of little god or even a sort of doted pet.
Just for today...
"While growing up I had used denial to block myself from feeling pain, which also blocked me from experiencing pleasure." Hope for Today (p. 138)
"... if I concentrate on being right here, right now, I know that I am fine . . . Let me make today the most fully alive day I have ever experienced." Courage to Change (p. 138)
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