Self-Image

I've been accused in the past of having a negative view of human beings. Okay, to be completely fair, it is Christianity that bears the accusation. And it's not necessarily a false accusation. Biblically, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Deny that and you deny everything. The reason I have been accused is because I do spend time on my blog trying to explain where people might be thinking wrong or doing things wrong. Now, I don't know that I do it more than others, but it is true that I spend time trying to point people (I include myself in the category of "people") in the right direction, and the presupposition is that I would assume that some might be going in the wrong direction.

Why would I do that? Why would I spend so much time on that general effort? The reason is simple. It is my deep conviction that the normal human perspective of self is "I'm just not that bad." Now, one of the reasons for my "deep conviction" is, of course, the biblical record. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer 17:9). Apparently, then, it's not merely my opinion. It's also not the only reason I think it's true that we lie to ourselves about how good we are.

Take, for instance, your typical sudden-loss-of-life scenario. The poor man was gunned down in his prime. Sure, he was a gangbanger. Sure, he had 8 kills under his belt. Sure, he beat his wife and his kids ... when he saw them. But now that he's dead, "Oh, he was such a good father and husband! We're going to miss him!" They're not telling themselves the truth. No, I wouldn't expect the truth to be "Good riddance!" But neither was he a good father and husband.

The problem, of course, is our yardstick. Here, think of it this way. If I beat my wife once a week and I know a guy that beats his wife three times a week, well, then, I'm not so bad, am I? I only take supplies from work. I know people who take equipment. See? I'm not a bad guy. Seriously, look at the numbers of people in prison, the serial killers, the child molesters, drug pushers ... can anyone really doubt that I'm a much better person that all that? I should say not! Given the proper collection of horrible people, I should be pretty close to sainthood!

The yardstick, though, isn't the other guy. It isn't our society. It isn't "the norm." The only accurate measuring stick is the perfection of our Maker. One false step is an infinite distance from the absolute excellence of God. And no one among us can claim only one false step.

It is, then, only as we look at God Himself that we can get a clear image of ourselves. This is why it is that every time someone in the Bible comes into contact with God they fall down in terror. Isaiah was undone. Peter begged Jesus to depart from him. Most come away surprised that they survived the encounter. We like to assure ourselves of our own value and our own goodness, but come face to face with God and that all changes.

Are you doing okay? Are you pretty confident you're not such a bad person? Perhaps you need a fresh look at the actual standard. Or, more to the point, perhaps it has been too long since you last encountered God.