Self-Help, Self-Schmelp

We are like children reaching for the stars,
and when we catch a firefly, we say we've caught a comet.

The other night when I was thinking about my resolutions, my prayer life, etc., I came to a certain realization. It dawned on me that all of this "stuff" I was trying to accomplish, all of those things that are to help make me a better Christian, better wife, better mom, all of whatever I'm trying to "work on" in my life really amounts to nothing if my focus is on me. I got to the point in all of my pondering when I realized sometimes I just get sick of myself. You know the feeling? When you just think about yourself and where you've been and where you're going, and you simply throw your hands up in the air and groan because you are who you are, and there's not much you can do to change that fact. It doesn't matter how many self-help books you read, how many advisors/friends you happen to have in your life, how many sermons you listen to - if your focus is on yourself and what needs to be changed, it will amount to nothing.

We all know in our heads that our focus should be on God. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that statement. But we add piles of "shoulds and shouldn'ts" to our focus, "change this and change that" to our central thinking, be more like Jesus in "this way and that way" that we completely cover up the one pinpoint Truth - IT'S NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM!! If we could take one second from every minute we're beating ourselves up over something bad we've done or when we're proud of ourselves over something "good" we've done, and redirect our focus on Jesus, we'd have many more positive minutes and holy moments in our days.

Getting out of our own way and allowing Jesus to do - just do - would result in a much shorter list of our own version of "do's and don'ts." Our whole life would be changed just by redirecting our minds toward Him. Worshiping and praising God throughout my day would automatically result in me being a better and kinder wife, mother, friend, organizer, teacher...person. Everything I did in the spirit of praise would be done to the best of my ability for the glory of God. I'm not saying that one must go through their day singing hymns to God in order to be focused on Him though that would be nice. And I'm not saying that resolutions are for naught and life would be so easy, bright and happy if we just let go and let God though that too would be refreshing. We've never been told the Christian life is an easy one - it requires action on our part and hard work. But how does self-improvement have a place in the Christian life when we are to die to self? Improvement can only come from one Source, and it's not to be found innately within us. We are told we are born into sin, live a life of sin and die in sin. How can improvement or self-help come from that kind of primordial ooze? How can we possibly help ourselves?

Resolutions are great when we see the power behind achieving them resides not in ourselves, but only in God. We are encouraged to reach for perfection, but only Jesus can hand it to us. So enough about what I want to be like, want to look like, or just simply want...what does God want? Not my will, but Yours, Lord. That will be my new mantra: Lord, what do You want today? Then maybe, just maybe, my life would look more like Perfection than I ever dreamed possible.


** For a good article about self-help and Christianity, read The Half-Truths of Self-Help.