At the 24-Hour Fitness where I exercise every day, there are signs on every wall—‘Believe in Yourself.’ I look at them and think ‘they must be crazy!’ Anyone foolish enough to believe in himself is setting himself up for disappointment! To believe in yourself is to believe in your “self.” And Jesus says any follower of His must deny his self (Mark 8:34). Believing in your self is a sin of the greatest measure—it is the sin of independence. And being disappointed in yourself means to have believed in yourself!
“Self” belief is rooted in humanism—the belief that you can do anything. And humanism’s path ends in the despair of perfectionism: subjectively defined, self-imposed standards where you set unattainable goals—and always falling short.
Have you been trying to ‘believe in yourself?’ But falling short? You can never be free from performance and consequent disappointment until you accept that you are imperfect and unworthy! (I know how counter-culture that sounds!) But only those who truly understand their unworthiness and ensuing need for God’s grace will be free from disappointment. Knowing they can never be ‘good enough,’ their confidence is “Christ in me, the HOPE of glory” (Col. 1:27)—the divine remedy to humanism and perfectionism where we exchange our ‘goodness’ (a euphemism for self-righteousness!) for HIS perfection. The next time you feel disappointed in yourself, be quick to confess it as the sin of believing in yourself.
Greg,
ReplyDeleteI have found myself being drawn to Elijah's story in 1st Kings. While there is much material to glean there is one thing in particular that seems oddly relevant to your comments today.
As Elijah was en route to Mt. Sinai and away from Queen Jezebel who was seeking his life, he found himself exhausted. So as he was camped out under a juniper tree in a wilderness area, and sleeping, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, woke him up and told him to eat a prepared meal. He did so and fell back asleep. Again, the angel woke him up to eat and told him that the journey was too great for him. Scripture tells us that Elijah was sustained on those two meals for forty days and nights.
If only we always would retain the truth that, in every situation in life, "the journey is too great for us!" If we did so we would find the lies of our flesh that try to convince us we are well able to meet every trial, every temptation, every pressure, every disappointment in our own strength would fade away to nothing. And we would happily allow the messages and messengers of heaven to employ themselves on our behalf to enable us to carry out our heavenly assignments for this life!...leading to a sure reward that we can cast at the feet of our Lord and Savior!
Stan
What a beautiful expression of a joyful and happy dependence on God's divine messengers who, as you say, employ themselves on our behalf! Thank You, Stan!
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