A Season for the Spirit: The Slow Corrosion of Self Doubt

There is no doubt about it. As a minister I primarily preach and teach the Jesus of demands. For some of this I make no apology. I believe that Jesus does make demands on our lives. He never forces his person and teachings on us but there are demands that God, working through his living son, makes upon our lives.

However, does anyone really pause to reflect on the Christ of affirmation? I used to hear about a man who used to pass out small paintings of a laughing Jesus. To me, this was just a creative way to make sure that Jesus remains our "buddy" or friend instead of the Jesus of service and demand.

But maybe there is a middle ground. There has to be a middle ground because we see evidence of service and gratitude in Scripture. Martin L. Smith likes for people to experience God through the gift of imagination. He encourages people to stop and imagine Jesus approaching them on a beach. Jesus has a different expression on his face; different than the usual solemn expression in which we often characterize him. In this scene, participants are encouraged to imagine Jesus with an expression of gratitude. As he approaches, "his intention is to thank you for all that you do for him." How would this make you feel? What does Christ say?

It truly is a strange feeling isn't it? Jesus, my savior, thanking me for all I do as a follower. Jesus, thanking me for using my gifts that were given to me by the Holy Spirit.

Many will be tempted to reject this idea. To open the possibility of being thanked by Christ is to welcome pride. The way to stay humble is to reject praise from others and from God. Christ must be put in his rightful place.

"I am just an ordinary church-goer," you might tell yourself. Or you may deflect any kind of praise, minimize what you do, and be quick to detect flaws. I tend to just change the conversation or dilute any appreciation so as to not come across as 'one of those kind of ministers.' In my own humble reaction there is pride. But if this continues in all of us then we can become guilty of the corrosion of self-doubt; and it is a slow process. Trust me. It creeps up and it will never loudly announce its presence.

So what is the solution? Allow Christ to thank you. Allow others to thank you. Accept the gratitude of others all the while knowing that they are God's gifts...not yours. Only then can we sincerely compliment others and allow our return compliments to be sincere.

"True humility comes from allowing our own gifts to be properly affirmed."

"It is only when we really accept God's appreciation of us and know ourselves to be gifted through the Holy Spirit that we can communicate to others the same blessing."

"For how can we give what we do not allow ourselves to receive?"