(Don’t?) Be Too Hard on Yourself!
Have you ever caught yourself, as a Christian, saying something to comfort someone in distress, but the words that came out of your mouth sounded lame? Perhaps someone struggling with their marriage was confiding in you, looking for Christian guidance, and you heard yourself say, "That's too bad" or "These things happen for a reason." Why do we say such helpless words? Can we, as believers, challenge ourselves to read the book of Proverbs in one month or to read the whole Bible in one year and yet still struggle to learn a few helpful Biblical phrases?
The truth is that we do learn when we read the Bible. God's Words do not return empty (Isaiah 55:11). However, we choose whether or not to share those learned truths with people in trials. If we do share, then we speak life into their situations and have delivered ourselves from guilt (Ezekiel 3:19). However, if we hold our tongues from sharing the wisdom of the Bible, then, if they die in their sins, their blood will be required at our hands (Ezekiel 3:18). I fear that we often avoid offending those bound by destructive life choices. Instead of telling someone to honor his or her spouse for the sake of honoring God, it is less confrontational to reply with a sympathetic, "You'll get through this."
There has recently been another saying that causes me concern. Since self-publishing Criminal Heart, I have been grateful for the feedback I have received. Of course, I like hearing that it has aided in one's understanding of the Bible, but I also appreciate the well-intended criticism. Truly! I do enjoy the criticism, because it will prompt me to work harder on future writings. However, I had to think deeply on particular feedback that I received from multiple readers. They told me, "You're too hard on yourself (in your book)." This was a difficult statement for me to ponder because I thought Christians were supposed to be hard on themselves; not for hardship's sake, but for the sake of communicating the purest form of the Gospel. Was it wise of me to write a book encouraging Christians to challenge false doctrine? Or should I have enabled believers to continue well-intended, yet inept sympathy, by saying, "God's got it under control" and "Give it to Jesus?" while helplessly watching their neighbor spiritually dissolve in "a very dangerous Quag" (Pilgrims Progress).
One reason I have for thinking that believers should be hard on themselves is due to the Jesus' parable from Luke 18:10-14 (NASB 1997):
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Honestly, I still feel restless about this issue. Should Christians be hard on themselves? Should we hold ourselves to a standard of a disciple, an apostle, or even Jesus? If you would like to share your opinion, please click on the CONTACT tab above and send an email to me. Please use the title of this blog as your subject line. Any email I receive is subject to be used in blogs for the purpose of teaching the Bible and Christian living. I look forward to reading your response!
2 July 2017
