Human beings take things too personally. It's not a theory that needs proving beyond a shadow of a doubt by some institution of higher learning and the sanctioned by the powers that be. It's just a truth. Simple. As a young therapist I went to a continuing education class one day. The teacher was 20 minutes late. When he came in and stepped to the podium his first words so shocked me that I don't remember anything after the opening statement. He said, "If you don't learn anything else today, remember that you are not as important as you think you are." As he launched into his lecture I checked out. What incredible guile this guy had! Didn't he know that I was responsible for helping people with their problems day in and day out. There were people in crisis that depended upon me to be there for them. With a full schedule of clients I knew this couldn't possibly be true. As I drove home from the class the voice of reason (God) began to talk to me. He said, "What would happen to all your current clients should you be disabled or die tonight?" After what seemed to be a WWF episode inside of myself the truth dawned. The clients would go on. They would find someone else and continue on their journey. Without me. I wasn't nearly as important as I thought I was. No one is as important as they think they are. What began with me taking things too personally had become a life saving (mine) lesson that I repeat for you who are reading this today.
What goes wrong that we fall into this trap? Are we so embolden in our endeavor that we forget we are a limited being? Do we really think that the opinion of someone else is so powerful in our lives that we stake our lives (and the lives of others) on the venture? These are all questions that each of us must answer. What stands in our way is us. We stand in our way. Between our egos, upbringing, education and social standing "we" get in the way. Prejudice and bias (not always about race) grow into this machine that drives our lives forward. Sometimes like an out of control bulldozer. We fill our lives with self-perceived successes and failures as our justification in thinking that life revolves around our frame of mind. Hence the problem is built in many lives with variances that separate rather than unite the common good. Taking things too personally ends up building walls that we either won't or don't break down. It's here that we often come to the place of being the god of our world. It's not a wise decision. But then we don't always make wise decisions. Taking things too personally is evidence of that affliction.
It's equally true that "if we stand for nothing we will fail for anything." Should we base our being on what we think? On what our friends and family think? Maybe what our enemies think? Government has long told us that they can do the thinking for us. Should we submit to their stand? I don't think so. In order to make a stand we need to know who we are. After much thought and conflict I chose to find out who I was. In the end I chose to see myself as a child of God and gave my life to Jesus. Before I go on it needs to be said that I have failed many times in submitting myself and my will to God. However, my basic person is grounded in whom God created me to be. If I really believe this then when things happen I don't need to take things personally because "things" are being said, reflected, or done to God who resides in me rather than to me. The corner that must be turned on my part is that "it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me." As long as I exercise my will my life will always be less than what He intended it to be. If I act outside the person God has created me to be; I will most like take things too personally. It's not what I want and not what those around me need. They need to see Christ crucified and risen living in me on a consistent basis. It's God who is important beyond measure. When this takes place there is nothing to take personally. God is perfectly capable of defending himself.
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