There is no shortage of self-help, summon your inner-strength, build up your self-image, self-confidence & self-esteem books, videos, speakers & gimmicks in our culture. This is not what we need more of. This never has been what we or you or I need more of. There is already tons of this & there always has been…. & how exactly are these things unique anyway? How exactly have they solved the critical & underlying/foundational problems that cripple our society & our people & our hearts on a daily basis. I will help you out. In short, they haven’t at all, they’ve always made the problem worse by enabling us to restrict our view & focus into a narrow point that centers on ourselves & personal effort & personal appearance & deeds & assessment etc. This sort of thing is such a blatant contradiction to everything that Jesus preaches as rudimentary to love & community & faith & trust & REAL & lasting peace (the kind that surpasses all understanding & that goes beyond the reaches of the world’s attacks, misgivings & deceit). Oprah may have the chief market, voice &/or face on this sort of thing throughout the last 25 years or so, & Dr. Phil might not be too far behind… Let’s face it, some (no, MANY) pastors build off this sort of thing more so than the doctrines of Christ because they want to grab people’s ears & attract attention & keep it… & what better way to reel people in & keep them when the going gets tough than by eliminating much of the growing pains of true love? ----- Authentic faith, trust, community, peace & joy….. I tell you, just as Jesus has, that where the focus is so vehemently & intently on SELF it is automatically lacking in focus towards others & focus towards God & focus towards learning & growth & humility & thereby anything resembling love & peace or joy or steadfast hope or sure faith or persevering trust. The bottom line that we so often are so easily deceived into forgetting, when it comes to the teachings of Jesus, is that HE must become greater & WE must become less. For most of us in our culture today, the most realistic application of this would have to do with combating our lenses of individualism & narcissism. We can’t look at everything that happens in our lives & center it around how it effects us or how it makes us feel or what it might or might not mean for us in 20 years. That’s not faith, that’s using strict rationalism & calling it letting God’s hand lead.. when in reality you are doing nothing more than dubbing your own mind & thoughts worthy of being “All exalted” & “above all names”…. We have to stop listening to those that would say, “Be your own God, you are God of your own course.” We need to instead, do away with our selfishness & pride & perhaps just try to see if maybe there is a different way…… a better way…. a way that doesn’t end in absolute despair & failure but also doesn’t lead to absolute ruthlessness, pride, stubbornness, lovelessness towards others & an inability to truly empathize or communicate beyond basic or self-beneficial social situations. There is a 3rd way that goes beyond the fallacy of self-autonomy & travels further & deeper & wider than what religiosity could ever hope to do… & that way is LOVE.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 21:20:44 +0000
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