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The sermon this weekend was completely apropos. Why is it that nearly every week in church tears spring to my eyes, and of course I never remember to bring a tissue?
Our pastor has been preaching on misplaced confidence. He says that often times when we sin, there is a sin beneath the sin. We can work hard at trying to be better, but there is likely something underlying the sin, for instance a wrong view of ourselves. This is so true for me, as I’m realizing that I still have a faulty view of my self-worth, which is broken on a very deep level. I have come so far (through my relationship with God, counseling, and wonderful female friends), yet I still struggle in this area.
All of us have some degree of misplaced confidence, relying on some idol other than God for our happiness. We rely on our own strength to get through life or to earn God’s favor, rather than living the truth that we are righteous in God’s eyes not because of anything we could do, but because Jesus Christ already did it for us.
The pastor said that if you are a Christian, despite your misplaced confidence, God will not reject you (Just as God did not reject David, despite David’s numerous moral failures and misplaced confidence)!
As I was sitting in church thinking about the pastor’s statements, I realized that I do worry that God will reject me. I am so sinful, and I lack so much faith. I am rebellious and I am weak, and while I truly desire to live God’s will and to be the Godly woman that He longs for me to be, I fall so short.
The good news is that because I fall short of God’s glory, I need His grace. I need Jesus Christ’s death on my behalf. I need the Holy Spirit indwelling in my heart to guide me. I cannot do it on my own.
Yet I often find myself subconsciously believing lies. I worry that God will reject me because I am not perfect. I am far from comprehending God’s grace, the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Note the word “unmerited.” I do not deserve it, yet I get it anyway!
The insecurity I feel in my relationship with God, feeling like he will reject me based on poor or imperfect performance, is the same insecurity I feel in dating relationships. I do not really understand how I can be imperfect yet still lovable, in God’s eyes or in the eyes of a boyfriend. While my perfectionism is advantageous in a lot of areas, as it drives me toward excellence and mastery, which gives me a sense of confidence and self-worth, my perfectionism is also a drawback. It is not as extreme as it used to be, as God has healed me greatly, but I often subconsciously feel like if I am not perfect, I am a failure.
Once again, I have a difficult time grasping God’s grace. Certainly, I am growing in this area, and I understand it more now than I did a few years ago, but I have so far to go in my walk (which, of course, can never be realized in this lifetime).
In dating relationships, I never feel like they will work out. I always find “reasons” why someone is not right for me, which is relatively easy because no one is perfect. I then proceed to doubt myself and feel ambivalent and stressed, overanalyzing everything. Why can’t I just relax and trust God? Is it that I have not met the right person? I am confident that none of the guys I dated in the past were right for me. Yet I still feel that something inside me is broken, that I do not have a right view of relationships.
Do I (deep down) feel like relationships won’t work out because of me (rather than the “reasons” why the guy is not right for me)? I am not perfect, and I do not feel worthy of love, and perhaps I project this onto others. I do not truly believe that God will bring me my heart’s desire.
Yet God tells me that He will give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). He tells me that He will meet all my needs (Philippians 4:19), so that whatever is broken inside me, He will heal in His perfect timing.
I don’t know the answers. I hate that this life is full of so much struggle. I am so frustrated that the thing I long for the most, which is to be married and to have that partnership and friendship and love, seems so unattainable. I hate that I feel so inept at relationships, when God has put such a strong desire on my heart to have them. (Before I became a Christian, I did not care as much about having close friendships or getting married.) I know intellectually that God is with me and that He is walking me through it, but emotionally, I still feel like I am adrift on an ocean of uncertainty.
A few months ago, a good friend of mine recommended a popular brand of high fiber oatmeal, the cinnamon swirl flavor, and it is so tasty. Recently, another friend enticed me to try mixing in some peanut butter, and today I even tossed in some trail mix, and it is delicious. I have had an inexplicable craving for grapefruit juice over the past week, so I enjoyed a glass of it with my uber-oatmeal.
Speaking of friends, my pastor spoke about friendship this morning at our church’s worship service. It was one of those sermons that spoke directly to me, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I love when that happens! I feel like God is speaking to me in a very clear and direct manner. He is affirming that what I think I have been learning about His nature and His will is on target.
Many of the ideas that follow are paraphrased from the pastor’s sermon. It is not my intention to take credit for his exegesis and wisdom.
“Love is a commitment based on the will of God and often accompanied by an emotion.”
We need friends who
1. Are willing to sacrifice on our behalf.
2. Will defend us when they are away from us.
3. Will give us the freedom to be ourselves when we are with each other.
4. Are constant encouragers.
How many of us have friends like these?
And how much greater is Christ our friend, as he embodies all of these statements.
Then, near the end of the sermon, the pastor made a statement that hit home for me: do not fight to get rid of sin; fight to see the love of Christ. Find strength in the Lord.
I have struggled with self-condemnation for many years, and recently I have begun to understand what a sin problem this attitude is. I feel tempted by a situation, and maybe I cross the line into sinful behavior, and I subconsciously think that because I am a Christian and a perfectionist, that I MUST make the right and Godly decision (read: in my own strength). When, inevitably, this fails, I beat myself up, piling sin on top of sin. (Side note: temptation alone is not a sin. It is not the first look that is sinful, it is the second and third.) I set my mind to cut off a certain behavior or thought or course of action, as if that is the solution.
But I am learning that the way I am reacting to temptation and to my sinful heart is more the problem than the actual temptation or sin about which I am worried in the first place. I am focusing all my thoughts and energy on the temptation, the sin, what I should do, and my strength or weakness in getting it accomplished. And then I fail.
Instead of fighting to get rid of sin (impossible in this lifetime, as my original nature is that my heart is so sinful), the better approach is to fight to see the love of Christ. This new perspective certainly does not free me from the responsibility to make wise and Godly decisions. But as I have written previously, for me personally, my sin problem leans more toward self-condemnation than licentiousness. I now see that to grow in my relationship with Christ, I want to focus on His love for me. I want to focus on the truth that I am His daughter, His beloved child. I want to build my identity in Christ and focus my attention and energy on Him.
And the behaviors and repentance will naturally follow. Because I cannot do it in my strength.
But I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). And the Lord my God will fight for me (Nehemiah 4:20). I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1). I am not just one misstep away from losing God’s love; He has removed my sin from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
Last night’s adventures are a good example of what I encounter in the gym.
[Several days ago]
Dr. Dre*: Is that your weight vest?
Me (wearing a weight vest, running up and down the stairs): Do you see anyone else around?
DD: Can I borrow it?
Me: Can you handle it?
[Last night]
DD: Where’s your weight vest?
Me: In my car.
DD: You’re in an inspiration.
Me: Uh, thanks.
DD: Are you trying to lose weight?
Me: Do I look like I need to? You think I’m fat, don’t you?
DD (look of horror in his eyes): NO! No, no. You are one of the most fit women in here. Top five, for sure.
Me: Ok. Just messing with you.
DD: I thought about what you said the other night. Do you remember?
Me: Yeah, I asked if you could handle it.
DD: Yeah, that stuck with me. I wish I were in better shape and worked out more. I feel so fat.
Me: You gotta work on that self-deprecation thing. How often do you work out?
DD: Twice a week. I used to work out five days a week. How often are you here?
Me: Every day.
DD: Six days a week?
Me: Every day. Seven.
DD: I used to do the Stairmaster five days a week. I lost seventy pounds. I used to weigh 240.
Me: Wow. You lost a lot of weight. How tall are you?
DD: About 5’7”. I really need to start working out more again. I am getting fat and out of shape.
Me (thinking all kinds of things at this point, but deciding to slip into my non-Freudian counselor mode): How often would you like to work out, ideally?
DD: Umm, about five times a week.
Me: So what is preventing you from working out five days a week?
DD (after some thought): Me. I could give you other excuses, but really I am standing in my own way.
Me: Okay, what would motivate you to work out five days a week?
DD: Signing up for a show.
Me: Yes, having a goal of competing is often motivating.
DD: I don’t want to be onstage and look fat.
Me: Yes, I can understand that.
DD: Okay, well, I’m going to do it. I’m going to work out more and get back into shape.
Me (using my inside voice): Fifty bucks says you are going to keep doing exactly what you have been doing: not working out consistently and continuing to feel bad about yourself.
Me (using my outside voice): You can do it. I have faith in you.
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
A friend told me this story:
“I was sitting in an airport, and a man came by and told me, ‘You are very beautiful. I mean, you are an attractive woman, but there is something else about you that makes you extraordinarily lovely.’ I knew what he was talking about. I didn’t say this to him, but having Jesus in you makes you very attractive to some people. I just thanked him and he went on his way.”
I sometimes assume that people who aren’t Christians are turned off by those who are, in part because they are different, and differences invariably cause rifts, and in part because Christians themselves are often the worst evidence for Christianity. Those who call themselves Christians are often hypocrites or overly religious, cramming God down the throats of all they encounter.
But I have been surprised by the number of people who seem drawn to me, particularly as I grow in my faith. I became a Christian about four and a half years ago, and the longer I have spent on my journey, the more I die to myself and live for Christ. He is truly changing me from the inside out. It is often difficult for me to see myself as others do, but I can tell that over the past few years, people approach and respond to me differently than they did in the past. And my sense is that they notice a quality in me that they may not understand, but that I know is Jesus.
I spend a lot of time working out at the gym, and I have been passionate about exercise and a member of a gym for about ten years. For many years, though I was at the gym every evening, no one ever talked to me or approached me. That was fine with me, as I am an introvert, and I am at the gym to work out, not to socialize. And I never really gave it much thought one way or the other.
But increasingly over the past several years, people have begun approaching me, especially in the past couple of years. Granted, there are likely other contributing factors, but I cannot help but think that people see something in me that was not there before. As my identity in Christ grows, I am more confident and more at peace. People seem very intrigued by me, or by the qualities Jesus imbues in me. This is not to give myself props; there is nothing particularly special about me. I am not drastically different than I was years ago. Except God.
I feel that God is using me somehow. He has made me more approachable (often much to my chagrin; if you’ll remember from a previous post how I loathe small talk) so that He can work through me.
I have had some amusing encounters, one of which I will share with you in another post. I am not entirely sure how God is using me, but I sense that He is.
Incidentally, and while I’m on the topic of what God is doing in and through me, I have been thinking a lot about spiritual warfare. I have noticed how the evil one uses my sin and temptations to sin to make me think negative, self-deprecating thoughts about myself. It dawned on me that instead of jumping on that downward spiral, I can instead remind myself that I am a daughter of God. I am His beloved child, and nothing I do can make Him love me any less. He is there for me when I call to Him. This is not an excuse for licentiousness, but it is a comfort when I begin believing the lies about myself that I am weak and worthless.
The way that temptation and sin gets a hold on me is when I tell myself I am powerless. I start to believe that I am no good because I am tempted to be disobedient. But instead of being hard on myself, I now see that I need to come to God and tell Him I need his help. I need to believe the truth, that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about sin.
There are many so-called Christians running around who are licentious, having reckless disregard for God’s law. They sleep around, lie, and cheat, declaring that “It’s all covered by the blood of Christ.” These folks believe that because God, by His grace, forgives us our sins when we confess, that they have the license to commit whatever sin they choose. They disregard the consequences, erroneously thinking that all will be well because of God’s grace.
The fallacy in this type of thinking is obvious to some. Paul says in Romans 6:1-4:
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We 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.
True believers in Christ Jesus have a new life, a new spirit, one that grieves over sin and longs to be more like Christ. So we recognize that licentiousness is dangerous and has unpleasant consequences, both temporally and eternally.
However, many of us do not think about the opposite end of the spectrum: the sin of self-condemnation. Guilt can be a positive feeling as it spurs us to repent, but feeling overly guilty is just as sinful as licentiousness.
I used to think that self-condemnation was merely synonymous with poor self-esteem. I knew it was a sin to be self-critical, to dislike my personality or my appearance. God made me the way I am, and I am beautiful in His eyes. This statement is difficult to internalize as it is, and I am learning that in addition to poor self-esteem, self-condemnation entails feeling overly guilty, remorseful, and self-critical over past sin.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:10:
10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
While Biblical repentance includes feelings of Godly sorrow, it does not mean feeling overly self-critical and regretful for one’s thoughts and actions. Self-condemnation can erroneously make us believe that we are in control of ourselves rather than believing the truth that God is in control, and it denies His power of grace and forgiveness. Self-reproach can lead to relying on our own strength to “just try harder” or on our own power to punish ourselves for our sins (how often do we sin and then feel guilty and commit five other sins immediately after?), rather than growing closer to Him and turning to Him with our needs.
I have learned personally that I have a weakness in the area of self-condemnation, and Satan can use that weakness to put a wedge in my relationship with God. While I know intellectually that I am forgiven, because “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1), at times I feel very regretful for past actions and choices. I am a perfectionist, and while I am learning to give myself grace, I often feel that if I am not perfect, I am a failure.
Intellectually, I know that I cannot be perfectly righteous in my own strength, and that I need God’s power and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Yet I hate myself when I err or sin. But this self-loathing is not what God wants.
What helps me in this area is to meditate on what God has done for me, rather than what I have done or not done right or wrong. It helps to spend time in prayer and in Scripture, reminding myself of the truth. And it helps to talk to wise and comforting women in my life who can empathize and affirm the truth.
It is just as sinful to be depressed for two months over a small transgression as it is to lie, cheat, and steal, and callously expect God's grace to cover it. Self-condemnation is just as sinful as licentiousness, and both fall to the sides of the path of grace and love on which God desires us to walk. I am thankful that through recent struggles, He has revealed to me my sins of self-reproach, so that I may rely more on His strength than my own, and so that I may grow in my spiritual walk.
The sermon this weekend was completely apropos. Why is it that nearly every week in church tears spring to my eyes, and of course I never remember to bring a tissue?
