C.S. Lewis asks, in Mere Christianity,
“To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?”
The “stronger than yourself" to which Lewis refers is Christ.
Ahh, but that is the point: most people, if not all at some time, think themselves to be the strongest. And if they are not convinced they actually are yet strong, they are convinced that they ought to be, and therefore, can be.
Even when engaging with doctors—schooled and trained through a decade or more—the average person can hold themselves in a position of superiority: second-guessing, outright disagreeing with, or grudgingly accepting the doctor’s diagnosis and prescription—all due to a lack of sincere and humble gratitude for their experience, perspective and willingness to help.
Ditto for car mechanics, customer service reps, contractors, and government representatives.
However, and quite ironically, many folks have no problem whatsoever aggrandizing the experts who substantiate what they themselves have already concluded—patting themselves on the back that this expert only confirms what they have already surmised out of their own innate wisdom and intuition. The experts and their identities become blurred, imbuing their ego with strength.
This personal co-opting of strength from those deemed to be "legit" deludes one into believing it is wisdom home-grown from within.
The common denominator in both the contrarian and adoring postures mentioned above quickly becomes apparent: pride in self and standing.
We vehemently desire and strive to curate and maintain a position of personal strength, so that, if anything, other people must look to us, and we never have to look to anyone beyond an impersonal distant stranger whom we have ideologically adopted as our very own in order to sustain rule over ourselves and others—in attitude and motivation.
This is indeed a difficult nut to crack. A nut, I believe, only Jesus can crack.
Why?
Because Jesus does none of that.
“…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).
Jesus did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped!
Humans try to gain this equality every day—spend their entire lives attaining to it—even if they reject the Biblical, or any other god, altogether.
Because they still believe in a god—the god of self; their self.
This is the person to be pitied, because first of all, they are not a god, and second of all, they are brick and mortaring themselves from Christ, thinking they are actually building themselves up.
Christ indeed, out of love, continually reaches for them, gently or not so gently allowing the bricks to fall away so that this vulnerable sheep can be brought into His fold to finally and truly find the strength they so ambitiously strive after.
We are familiar with Jesus’s tears for His sheep:
“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41-42).
In Matthew and Luke Jesus implores the people to let him gather them to Himself as a hen does her chicks, but they would not let Him.
In Luke 19, “even you” is very telling:
even you….fill in the blank.
even you who think yourself so smart, and perhaps are knowledgable about many things…
even you who work hard…
even you who do charitable acts…
even you who think yourself a good person….
even you who depend on no-one and are of strong reputation….
even you who never cries….
even you who think you know better….
even you of common-sense….
even you who are always helping others...
even you...
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Those who attain to and believe only in their own ability to be strong do not acknowledge the necessity or privilege of conceding sincere reliance upon anyone stronger—that there is, in fact, one stronger with whom they can do this. And even if they submitted that there might be one stronger, they still assure themselves that they can do fine without that person.
Therefore, they remain ignorant of their lack and dire bearing.
“…let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
He who “stands” remains lost in the delusion and idol of independent strength.
copyright Barb Harwood
Check back for a future post on how we benefit from realizing our position of weakness…
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