9 Jul
Thinking About Me
Lately, I’ve been thinking about myself. That may sound narcissistic; but come now, we all do it.
Sometimes I think about the kind of man and father and husband I hope to be. Sometimes I think about my many foibles and sins and plain ‘ol human qualities that throw a kink in my desires. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I’d made this choice or that. Sometimes I wonder if anybody will read my books after I’m dead. Sometimes I’m too hard on myself. Sometimes I need a dose of humility via a reality check (a service my wife Miska often happily provides). Truly, my thoughts about myself can roam any which way.
I will say, though, that living with two young boys who have no problem “calling ‘em like they see ‘em” keeps my ego in check. Just the other day, Seth (our 4-year-old) told me plainly, “I don’t like pastors.” Well, okay then…
In our therapeutic and self-absorbed culture, it’s easy to make the case that we think about ourselves entirely too much. We ogle over our image in the mirror. We constantly revisit the stories in our narrative that either make us the hero or allow us to be the victim. We regularly Google our name to see what the cyber world thinks of us - or we additively check back on our blog posts to see who has commented about how fabulous our words were (speaking of which…but I digress). These proclivities can signal the self turned dangerously inward, a little thing the Bible calls selfishness or, worse: idolatry.
However, these impulses can also point to the fact that we were made to have our identity and value lavishly affirmed. We were made to be delighted in and seen and to have our best, truest selves pulled out in the open for all to enjoy.
Over and over again, Scripture affirms our true, deep identity, our true self. We are beloved. We are children of the Father. We are in Christ. We are held in the palm of God’s strong hand. We are beautiful in Jesus. We are strong and brave in Jesus. We are cherished by God, just as Jesus is cherished by God. We are chosen, singled-out, called by name. We are the ones (you and me) with whom God has entrusted His central work: being the people He uses to bring His Kingdom to come on earth, even as it is in heaven.
Thinking about ourselves can actually be an affirmation of hope and faith, whenever our thoughts echo the heart of God.
What do you think? Join the discussion »
Filed in: Choices, Humility, Sin
About the Author
Winn is a pastor and the author of Restless Faith, Let God: The Transforming Wisdom of Francois Fenelon and the upcoming Holy Curiosity: Facing Jesus’ Provocative Questions. Winn enjoys the music of Amos Lee and Josh Rouse, the literary work of Eugene Peterson and John Steinbeck, hiking, and independent coffee shops serving fair-trade roasts. Winn’s greatest joy, however, is good conversations with his wife Miska and wrestling with their two boys Wyatt and Seth. You can connect with Winn online at winncollier.com.
