I hope you are sitting down because I am going to tell you
to do something that will dramatically show you the cause of 99% of your
problems. OK, now that you are sitting
down I want you to get up and go into the nearest bathroom. Stand in front of the sink and look straight
ahead at the mirror. You are now
standing face to face with your biggest problem. That’s Right, no matter how much you want to
make excuses, you are usually the one to blame.
The greatest hindrance for your spiritual growth can also be found by
looking in the mirror. We get in our own
way more often than we wish to admit or realize. We are born with a nature that causes us to
love ourselves. Look at a 2 year
old. They aren’t taught that they are
the center of the universe. They just
know it! It is not only 2 year olds who
suffer with this overblown sense of self-importance. Try this experiment at any age; get a group
picture that includes you. It doesn’t
have to be a large group. It could be
three or thirty in the picture. Now look
at the picture. Who did you look for
first? Go on, it’s just me and you…it’s
ok to admit we usually look for ourselves first. We can’t help it.
This self-love/narcissism is vital in developing our
self-image. It is important and healthy
that we first develop a healthy self-love.
But it is equally important and healthy that we learn to consider others
rather than exclusively dwell on ourselves.
Jesus sums all scriptural teaching ‘Greatest Commandment’, “love
our neighbor as we love ourselves” (Matt. 22:39). He was quoting the Old Testament teaching
from Leviticus 19:18. Both Old & New
Testaments both teach and command a healthily balance of self-love combined
with love for others.
However, many hang on to narcissism too long, miss the full
life God intended for emotional and spiritual maturity. If we stay “the center of the universe” in
our mind & emotion we’re in for a long difficult time, not to mention those
around us. It’s so sad to see people
well past their 2nd birthday still behaving as if they believed the world existed
for them. Many go to church faithfully, many become leaders in the church and
community. Some even stand behind
pulpits or rise to the highest political offices. They become experts in
advancing through charm, bullying, deception, manipulation or whatever it takes
to advance their ego. And there it
is…the identity of the real culprit: EGO.
Ego is defined by Webster as “a person's sense of self-esteem or
self-importance”. I found a more telling
definition as EGO means to Edge
God
Out!
You see the more we are concerning about our self-esteem or
self-importance the more we push God out of our lives. You cannot follow Jesus and follow your own
desires! You cannot follow Jesus and
follow the desires of others (pleasing them)!
To follow Jesus, you must deny self (die to self)! The way may not be easy but it is
worthwhile. The more we proceed in
diminishing our narcissism, our self-centeredness & sense of
self-importance, the more we find ourselves not only less fearful of death but
also less fearful of the worries of life.
This is the mysterious and wonderful paradox in real life! The more we release the more we gain! It is only when we take our mind/eye off of
self that we can truly see/think of others & love others. Only when we do not think of ourselves or our
feelings can we really serve & love unconditionally. Only when we no longer fear loss of life can
we be free to live life. Satan can no
longer manipulate us with fear. Dead
people aren’t scared of anything. Satan
can no longer worry or burden us. Dead
people aren’t worried about anything.
Satan can no longer embarrass us. Dead people aren’t embarrassed about
anything. Next time you are at a funeral
look inside the casket and say, “I can’t
believe they are wearing that outfit. It
looks awful.” It’s OK you won’t hurt
their feelings or embarrass them. Excuse
me for sounding harsh but I think you get my point.
It is amazing how much of our life is affected by what
others say or think of us or what we want them to say or think of us. Look at how often events, large or small,
boil down to advancing or soothing a person’s ego. It may be the ego of one who has advanced
themselves to be a head of state, leader of a religious movement, neighborhood
group or head of a family. Whatever the
level may be, the egotist will do whatever it takes for their own cause, belief
or feelings. So much of their whole
existence is controlled by what others think or say about them. This is the complete opposite of true
spiritual maturity. The spiritually
mature person is only concerned with one opinion, what does God think?
The first step in true spiritual maturity is realizing and
admitting that it is not about me! Jesus
tried to drill that point home continually.
Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24. Mark 8:24 all teach the essential truth that
following Jesus means death to our own ego.
It no longer matters what we want, think or feel; all is put aside to
follow Jesus so we think, feel and want as He does. There is a great freedom when we do not have
to worry about what others do, think or say about us because the important
thing is that they see Jesus in us. That
is the key that gave Enoch freedom from the difficulties of life and
death. The fifth chapter of Genesis tells
us Enoch walked with God for most of his life.
What happens when we walk with someone? Imagine that you and a close
friend are enjoying a walk down a country lane. You are in close proximity. You
talk, laugh, listen, and share your hearts. Your attention is focused on this
person to the exclusion of almost everything else. You notice the beauty around
you or an occasional distraction, but only to point it out to your companion.
You share it together. You are in harmony, and you both enjoy the peaceful
camaraderie. Walking with God is like that.
Finally Enoch came to the place where “he was no more”. That may mean that God took him from this
world in a way that avoided the fate of death that we all will experience. Or
could it mean that Enoch was so surrendered to walk with or follow God with his
entire being that people no longer saw Enoch but looked upon him and saw
God? In other words for all practical
purposes Enoch no longer lived but God lived completely through Enoch. Isn’t Paul saying the same thing in
Philippians 1:21 where he states; “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.”?
So, as Ross Perot was fond of saying, “Here’s the deal”. No matter
how long or short our life may be, the best use of the day(s) we have is to put
our feelings, desires, thoughts and agenda aside and walk with God putting His
desires, thoughts and agenda first. The
more we practice sacrificial love for God and our fellowman the more we realize
the wonderful freedom of no longer worrying about what others think or say
about us. We no longer have to be
anxious about what is happening in the world around us or the future because we
know that God is accomplishing His purpose in, with and through us and He will
take us in His time as he did Enoch. I
like the way a young girl expressed her understanding of Enoch as she described
it this way; “God and Enoch enjoyed
walking, talking and being together so much that they lost track of time and
one day as the sun was going down God said; “Enoch, we are closer to my house
than yours so just come and stay there.”
The path to freedom from hurt feelings, fear, and anxiety is
the path of surrendering your ego to completely follow God every day. Life then becomes a journey of loving others
as you walk with God until one day He says, “Hey, we are closer to my home
than yours so just stay with me!”
