In the film “Lawrence of Arabia,” after Lawrence has been humbled by his discovery of his own weakness, he and his friend Ali have a conversation:
Lawrence: I’ve come to the end of myself. . . .
Ali: A man can be whatever he wants. You said it.
Lawrence: I’m sorry. I thought it was true.
Ali: You proved it.
Lawrence, opening his shirt and grabbing the flesh of his chest: Look, Ali, look. That’s me. . . . And there’s nothing I can do about it.
Ali: A man can do whatever he wants. You said it.
Lawrence: He can. But he can’t want whatever he wants. This is the stuff that decides what he wants.
There is a reason why Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
