The truth about us
I am becoming more and more convinced as time goes by that there is
NOTHING human beings do, think, or say that is not about themselves.
Not one thing.
Am I a pessimist to believe this way?
I venture to say the most heroic and seemingly selfless act is at least
partly corroded with mixed or ulterior motives involving the ego.
In saying that, I must admit that I don't think it is all bad.
The truth about us is that we don't want to believe the truth about us.
If we hold on to the idea of some goodness in ourselves we then hold on to the idea that we do not need to be saved from ourelves.
It is most human to want to take credit for our own goodness and our own badness.
I think we are not responsible for either inbred characteristic.
It was forknown and predestined that we would be subject to evil.
It was forknown and predestined that we would have goodness in us because of God.
If I beat myself up for committing a sin I am prone to do I waste my salvation.
If I take credit for the kind acts I do, I am deceived by pride.
Lest I seem too way out for some.......
I will tell what I think I am responsible for.
I am responsible to be the best guardian possible of the vessel in which my soul lives and the best steward of my inborn talents and gifts and to give all praise to the one who "giveth and taketh away".
I am nothing apart from Him.
However, I am so sinful and so flawed that yes I will take great pleasure in the applause I get after a solo I have sung. Yes, I will beam with delight when I notice someone staring at my face. I really get a kick out of the comments of I hear of my abilities to run a country store and make it warm and wonderful to be in.
But seriously folks........Did I mold my eyes and nose and lips?
Did I go to some school to learn to decorate in my infancy or was not the love and passion already there from birth? My vocal chords were formed in the womb.
I was born to sing.
Who can we kid but ourselves into believing that we deserve credit?
When makeup goes on my face it is a simple enhancement of the beauty already there.
When I tune up my voice it is a feeble attempt on improving the art of voice that
God created. Oh great acheiver that I am thinking I will win praise.
I think I will win merit.
I think I will win deserving and worth.
In whose eyes?
WHAT FOR?
My heart yearns to be good enough.
But I cannot even win brownie points with God.
The only thing I can say good about myself
When I look at all my good qualities and my bad is.....
"Wow, look what GOD has done".
Now thats real self esteem.
NOTHING human beings do, think, or say that is not about themselves.
Not one thing.
Am I a pessimist to believe this way?
I venture to say the most heroic and seemingly selfless act is at least
partly corroded with mixed or ulterior motives involving the ego.
In saying that, I must admit that I don't think it is all bad.
The truth about us is that we don't want to believe the truth about us.
If we hold on to the idea of some goodness in ourselves we then hold on to the idea that we do not need to be saved from ourelves.
It is most human to want to take credit for our own goodness and our own badness.
I think we are not responsible for either inbred characteristic.
It was forknown and predestined that we would be subject to evil.
It was forknown and predestined that we would have goodness in us because of God.
If I beat myself up for committing a sin I am prone to do I waste my salvation.
If I take credit for the kind acts I do, I am deceived by pride.
Lest I seem too way out for some.......
I will tell what I think I am responsible for.
I am responsible to be the best guardian possible of the vessel in which my soul lives and the best steward of my inborn talents and gifts and to give all praise to the one who "giveth and taketh away".
I am nothing apart from Him.
However, I am so sinful and so flawed that yes I will take great pleasure in the applause I get after a solo I have sung. Yes, I will beam with delight when I notice someone staring at my face. I really get a kick out of the comments of I hear of my abilities to run a country store and make it warm and wonderful to be in.
But seriously folks........Did I mold my eyes and nose and lips?
Did I go to some school to learn to decorate in my infancy or was not the love and passion already there from birth? My vocal chords were formed in the womb.
I was born to sing.
Who can we kid but ourselves into believing that we deserve credit?
When makeup goes on my face it is a simple enhancement of the beauty already there.
When I tune up my voice it is a feeble attempt on improving the art of voice that
God created. Oh great acheiver that I am thinking I will win praise.
I think I will win merit.
I think I will win deserving and worth.
In whose eyes?
WHAT FOR?
My heart yearns to be good enough.
But I cannot even win brownie points with God.
The only thing I can say good about myself
When I look at all my good qualities and my bad is.....
"Wow, look what GOD has done".
Now thats real self esteem.
posted by Becky Nelson @ 10:48 AM
4 Comments:
At 12:05 PM,
J. Holo said…
it's astonishing how easy that is to forget... or just plain not believe. it is true. i, indeed, am *not* the center of the universe.
thanks for putting that out there.... err... i mean... thank God. ;) how about this..
i am thankful for the wisdom God has given you to write that and the encouragment i get from reading it. :)
i agree with everything... except that sin is merely inbred. i know he predestined it, but the Bible still talks about it like it's our fault, and that it's a good thing to mourn over it. So I think we have responsibility. And i think that makes your point even more potent.
At 2:28 PM,
Becky Nelson said…
I was just talking to someone who said the same thing as you.
She said that we are responsible for our sin.
I know that is true.
But we have no choice about whether we are going to or not.
Adam sealed our fate.
We are born sinners.
The question is, where do our choices/free will leave off and God's will and destiny take over.
Somehow they mysteriously entwine.
My blog was a searching thing.
Not a statement of doctrine.
There is just too much I don't know. But experience tells me that sin is something I am powerless over and only God can save me. I am responsible and yet not. How can that be?
Thanks for writing Jonathan.
At 8:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
"The question is, where do our choices/free will leave off and God's will and destiny take over.
Somehow they mysteriously entwine."
The Bible teaches both free will and predesination. The reason for this is that one is from our view point inside linear time while the other is God's viewpoint from outside of our space / time. So then both views are true at the same time. It is right to call it all "mysterious", for while we may be able to apprehend the relationship we can not, because we are limited as created beings.
Hope you all are well.
Tom
At 6:28 AM,
Becky Nelson said…
spqr.....
Totally right on!
Thank you.
Doing GREAT!
I hope you are too.
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