Want to get better?
Why what you've tried to this point might not have worked...
When we want to get better, most of us set out on a road of self-discovery.
We read self-help books.
We go to therapy.
We talk to our friends about our problems, with lots of “I” and “me” words.
Those things aren’t necessarily bad. They can be good for us, in some measure.
After all, it’s our life and our feelings, right?
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The problem is, the more we think about ourselves the worse we often feel.
Focusing more on ourselves doesn’t actually help us get better, which doesn’t make good sense.
Shouldn’t educating ourselves, spending more time caring for ourselves, and talking through the problem solve it or at least, improve things?
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And then there are others of us who go the opposite way.
We think that the way to get better, the answer to happiness is in complete self-denial.
Because of a narrative we’ve been sold by someone else or our own internal dialogue, we’ve formed a belief system that said it is more spiritual to operate in a mode of lowly self-assessment.
It’s never about us nor should it be. Downplay all accomplishments. Deny all compliments. This “humble” way is certainly the way to become a better person, right?
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The problem is, lack of self-consideration never results in better mental, physical, emotional or spiritual health. It is inconsistent with the idea of Imago Dei and not founded in the biblical idea of servanthood, which is about a gift of the Spirit and a command of Christ rooted in love, not denial of identity.
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At the end of the day, both of these lines of thinking are actually self-focus, which never helps heal us from the mental self-consumption many of us find ourselves in.
Swinging the pendulum from all about me (self-obsession) to nothing about me (self-denial) is not honoring to God because neither way is honoring our personhood.
It’s merely our human effort to grasp for control — looking for the answer to get better in a misplaced source: SELF.
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Want to get unstuck from shame and guilt?
Want to move forward with victory in forgiveness or getting over bitterness or pride?
Want victory in your body struggles?
Stop trying to think more about or less about you.
Instead, consume more of Christ.
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Getting to know God is the very best way to get cured of anger, lack of joy, fulfillment, hopelessness, bitterness, and consuming body thoughts.
Mad at your spouse? Get to know God. Find out who He is and what He is all about and what breaks His heart and what He says we should fight for.
Struggling to know what to do with your life? Get to know God. Read about what He says is your purpose in life. We are hard pressed to worry about the same things when we understand that.
In grief? Get to know God. Learn about how much He loves you and weeps for you and with you.
Feel less then? Get to know God. Discover what He says about your worth.
The irony is that we go looking for our identity in every other source — jobs, degrees, experts, our looks, therapists, Bible teachers, pastors, motivational speakers, relationships, social media, personality tests, ALL OF IT, but we don’t think to get to know who God is to find ourselves.
Get to know God and you will get to know you.
How you operate
Why you matter
What you were made for
Why He died for you
Your purpose in life
And much more.
I promise. It will change things.
“The only way I know to get better is to pursue a greater desire for God.” I Want God
*For additional help with this, see Body & Soul.
