“My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” Job 10: 1
Yeah, I’ve said those exact words more than a few times! It’s a hard thing when you’ve been bitten by the self-pity bug. Oh, but let me re-phrase that… self pity is NOT A BUG, self-pity is a SIN! Lately I’ve been prompted – by God to take a hard look at myself. I must take the focus off of “poor me” and put it back on the One who is Worthy. So no more pity parties… but wait, I’m only human. We’re all only human. When we face baffling affliction, our pain and sin nature lures us towards feeling sorry for ourselves!
But did you know that one step beyond self-pity is self-righteousness? We can unconsciously keep track of life’s injustices and say, “Look what happened to me. Life is just unfair!” Some of us may go as far as to blame God, or we can be so obsessed with the “Whys?” We can be constantly trying to figure a way to get ourselves out of whatever it is – whether it was allowed, ordained, or sent by God. What we should be asking, is “What can I learn and how can I grow.” But that’s so easier said than done, especially when we’re in the midst of the battle (Read An Iron Collar).
“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15: 13
Let’s really look at what this proverb is telling us. Unhappiness, grief, depression, self-pity are great enemies. When we allow sorrow of the heart to have dominion, our spirit gets broken. It can be subtle… you start to complain to yourself. You focus on your broken heart, and before you know it you are speaking words of death instead of life. This opens up the door for Satan, and the downward spiral begins. The sorrow of the world works death! This is when God shows up, and if we harken to Him, we can be sure His grace will come and make for us a way of escape!
To be continued…