Where Did You Find God Today?

Is flesh – selfish?   Both contain the same letters. Go ahead, check it out. I’ll wait….

I love word puzzles, and sometimes I find His Word in them. Like “selfish” and “is flesh”.

There seems to be a lot of posts on social media today about self-esteem building. You are special, you are beautiful, you a worth something. You are strong inside. You can do it. You go, girl!

It reminds me of the maid in the movie The Help who whispered positive reinforcements over and over to the small girl who was ignored and emotionally nay-sayed by her mother. Great intentions. The child needed to hear those things to offset the negativity that fogged her home.

But I worry if we are not swinging the pendulum too far the other way in this me-orientated society?  Just check out the number of selfies as you scroll down the posts on Facebook.

Esteem shouldn’t stem from the mantras I tell myself in the mirror to pump myself up.  Instead, it should come from the fact I am created and put on this earth for a reason by a God who loves me more than I can ever imagine. He gives my life purpose. He equips me for the tasks He call me to do. His death on the cross paid to make me worthy…not anything I have done or anything I tell myself over and over in the mirror.

Don’t misunderstand. As a victim of severe bullying from 4th-9th grade, I know what low self-esteem is like. I bear the scars on my psyche. They gouge deeply into my personality.  I battle it daily, even now. But healing doesn’t come from me puffing myself up.  It came from me bending to my knees.

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm  29:11

Do I look to myself or to the mountains from where my strength comes. (Psalm 121:1) When I am dipping into the pity-pool, the best way to lift myself out is to praise God, not my own attributes. Doing something to help someone else helps to get the focus off of me, and that is the best remedy for the down-in-the-dumps.  Christ is my strength, my rock and redeemer. Not the mirror.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6

Do I bolster myself,  or humble myself so He can lift me up? (James 4:10) The mirror emphasizes my flesh- not just skin and bones, but “me.” It is all about self.

Mirroring Christ who humbled himself to obedience, even on a cross (Philippians 2:8) reveals an eternal spirit. It is all about Him who is greater in me than anything in the world.

Flesh is – selfish, and temporary.  But selflessness is the essence of spiritual wholeness.