So, I haven't posted for a while... I'm working on that. :) Here are a few quotes that brought conviction to my soul. They discuss that seemingly tasty and harmless bait presented to our souls every day: self-pity.
"Self-pity has destroyed more men and women than maybe any other vice. Self-pity appears smallish, weak, and almost cute. It appears to be some harmless luxury of the soul in hard times--but for all its seeming neutrality, self-pity has proven the conqueror of kings, princes, prophets, and mighty men throughout the ages.
...self-pity [is] more dangerous than the powers of lust to allure and powers of greed to pollute--for self-pity is the little varmint that prepares the way for the other chief rebels of the soul. Self-pity sounds so benign...precisely what it is--self-worship and self-preoccupation. The mighty men of old understood that self-pity is the father of all the other self-sins (self-indulgence, self-concern, and self-applause, self-seeking, self-aggrandizement, etc.) --in short, selfishness. It's the doorway into the dungeon of Lucifer--it's the undercover spy of the evil regime sent to turn the soul of man from God-worship to man-worship."
--Eric Ludy, Wrestling Prayer, p. 46
As Christians we have the opportunity to say no to self-pity. Life is not about us. True joy is only found when our hearts delight in Jesus first and all sight of self is lost.
Think about it. This Easter week we celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection.
Jesus was rejected.
He was beaten, spit upon, mocked, shamed.
He walked through the busy streets of Jerusalem bleeding, weak, naked, carrying a wooden cross.
He was abandoned by His friends.
Even His Father had to turn away.
If we talk about having a "rough day", Jesus knew.
But He had no self-pity.
For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. Now, when we behold His face (not our own), we are changed. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Let's refuse the bait.
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