Marginalization, the Hero’s Journey, and Becoming One with Christ
Several weeks ago, the Sunday reading spoke of those who are alive in Christ having also died with Christ. I’ve been meditating on this ever since, and it strikes me as literally true in the deepest sense.
Those who truly identify with Christ have gone through a death to themselves and a rebirth in the Spirit. In their own lives, they have experienced a death to the old self—often painful—followed by an inspiration, an awakening that makes them one with Christ in a real, transformative way.
Christ died for our sins. Our own death to self is frequently the direct result of our sins, our avoidance, our need for control. In this way, we participate in “paying for our sins”—not as a way to earn salvation, but as the lived reality of union with the One who paid the full price.
United with Christ in Death and Life
The New Testament doesn’t present this as a metaphor to admire from a distance. It is a spiritual reality we are invited to enter:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
— Galatians 2:20
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
— Romans 6:3-4
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
— Colossians 3:3
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are called to count ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). This is not something we achieve by effort alone; it is something we receive by faith and live out daily.
Marginalization: The Common Doorway
Everyone who becomes truly one with Christ has been marginalized in some way—by society, by circumstances, or by the consequences of their own sins.
Jesus made this abundantly clear:
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
— Luke 5:31-32 (see also Mark 2:17, Matthew 9:13)
He spent His time with tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and outcasts—the people on the margins. The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son all celebrate the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.
The ones who start life on the margins often have only one direction to go: upward, toward God. For the rest of us, the death to self usually comes—willingly through surrender or unwillingly through crisis.
When Society Makes “Hitting Bottom” Difficult
Our modern society, with its genuine compassion and generous safety nets, often makes it hard for anyone to actually reach the margins or fall completely off the edge. While these supports help many people in real, practical ways, they can also unintentionally prevent the kind of desperation that forces us to confront our need for God.
Many people live comfortable, respectable lives that never quite bring them to the end of themselves. As a result, the dramatic “come to Jesus” moment that so many saints and ordinary believers describe remains elusive.
If You Haven’t Had Your “Come to Jesus” Moment Yet
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I don’t believe I’ve had that moment yet—what can I do?”, then you have already been stirred by grace. The very fact that you’re asking shows the Spirit is at work.
The next step is honest self-examination: Are you satisfied with your current state? If the answer is no, then the invitation is clear—undertake the hero’s journey. Seek God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
One of the most powerful examples is the prodigal son. He had to hit rock bottom—feeding pigs, longing for their food—before he “came to his senses” and returned home. His father didn’t wait on the porch; he ran to meet him.
Basic Training for the Journey
While on this journey, we need practical disciplines—the “basic training” of the Christian life:
- Prayer — to grow in humility and dependence on God.
- Fasting or voluntary sacrifice — to help overcome our passions and disordered desires.
- Charity (generosity toward others) — to grow in the selfless love of Christ. This means actively looking for the good of the other and taking our eyes off ourselves.
These three practices—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—appear throughout Scripture as the classic path of transformation. As we faithfully “fill these water jars,” God does what only He can do: He reveals Himself and turns our ordinary water into wine.
The Transformation Is Real
This is not a self-improvement project. It is participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The old self dies (sometimes kicking and screaming), and the new creation emerges. Christ lives in us.
The journey may begin with pain or dissatisfaction, but it ends in freedom, love, and the joy of knowing we are no longer our own.
If this reflection resonates with you, I invite you to begin—or continue—the journey today. Start small: an honest prayer of surrender, one act of generosity, or a simple fast from something that has too much hold on you.
God is not waiting for you to be perfect. He is waiting for you to come to the end of yourself—so He can raise you to new life in Him.
Have you experienced a “death to self” moment in your own life? What practices have helped you most on the journey? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
