When you hear the phrase, “Living a Fantasy,” what do you generally think of? Most people have visions of being rich and laying out on the beach with no worries, traveling to exotic places and seeing the world, or something of that sort. But we live in a world today where it has an entirely different meaning.
Take Rachel Dolezal, for instance: You may remember her as the white woman in Washington state who “identifies” as a black person. For a time, she had everyone fooled to the extent that she was actually selected to became the leader of the Spokane NAACP, and taught black studies classes as several different institutions.
Well, she is back in the news. When her original deception was discovered, she resigned or was fired from the various places she was working. Because of her problems, she is now jobless and may soon be homeless. She still, though, insists she is not white and has never considered identifying as white again.
This is really no different from the “transgender” controversy that is currently going on in the country. There are a small number of people who were born one sex, but they “feel like” they ought to be a different sex; so they try to live their lives as if they are something they are not.
Perhaps you read the recent story of Mack Beggs, a 17 year old girl wrestler in Texas who self-identifies as a boy. According to the rules of the sport, wrestlers must compete based on what is on their birth certificate; so even though she wants to compete with boys, she must compete with the girls – and compete she does. She just won the girls state championship in her weight class.
But there is more to it. Since she self-identifies as a boy, she is currently taking testosterone treatments in order to “transition from female to male.” Apparently, in her situation, it is not against the rules for her to take steroids to bulk up her muscle mass and still compete.
The whole point, though, of mentioning these two cases, is not to merely highlight examples of people who self-identify as something they are not. The purpose here is point out how this kind of thing is so widely accepted in society. There are many, of course, who completely disagree with people deciding their race or gender based on what they feel like, but there are also many supporters – including many in the media who are working diligently to try and normalize this kind of belief system and behavior.
But the truth is, self-identification as something one is not, does not reflect reality. Rachel is white, no matter what she “feels like,” and Mack is a girl, no matter what he “feels like.” Nothing is going to change their DNA. And rather than accepting who they are and living within the boundaries of reality, they have chosen a different path – to pretend they are something different. Only in the case of living against reality, they have to do things to distort their psychological identity and, in some cases, to alter their bodies with surgery and drugs.
There is something about reality that is unmovable. It is what it is no matter how much one does not like it. A person who wants to be able to fly like Superman simply can’t, because human beings are not designed to do it, and gravity prevents it. A person who wants to be a mermaid can’t do it, because humans don’t have tails and can’t breathe underwater.
Those who support the belief that a person can become anything they want based purely on their feelings and the way they self-identify are living by worldview beliefs that are not real. Many of these people try to rationalize their beliefs by saying they aren’t hurting anyone, and people ought to be able to do what they want. But that is simply not true. First, they hurt themselves psychologically, and perhaps even physically. Living in a fantasy is not healthy. Second, they often hurt people who care for them, and others who must compete against them under unfair circumstances. But worst of all, they hurt themselves spiritually as they reject God’s plan for their life.
There is a way reality is actually structured, and it cannot be changed. It is what it is. I have heard it said that you cannot break the laws of nature, but you can break yourself on them. The same is true when it comes to the laws of the spirit – and this can have eternal consequences. As individuals, we need to recognize the reality God has placed us in, and seek to work within that to become all he has called us to be.