Self Image

Life can be such a precarious balance, even the Christian life. There are many statements made in the Bible that warn against pride, and not thinking about yourself more highly than you ought. Jesus made a point to remind the people to whom He preached that the foundation of the Law was to love God (Mark 12:30) and to love their neighbors as themselves (Mark 12:31); in otherwords, to focus on others.

There are many ways that we can work on to better love our neighbor. But how can I love my neighbor if my “love” for myself is so poor as to be almost non-existant? What if I dislike or even actually hate myself? A healthy, appropriate self-love may need to be cultivated in order to be able to properly love someone else.

A person I know quite well would often say, with great seriousness, how she was “stupid”, and would verbally degraded herself about her appearance and skills. It made my heart ache when I would hear her say these things.

As a physician, I see people all the time who practice denial about issues regarding their health. No, I don’t really have diabetes; no, my high blood pressure is not a problem; no, I don’t have cancer; and don’t you try to tell me otherwise. The reality is that yes, that person does have that disease. They have chosen to live in a delusion that pretends there is no problem.

In the same way, my friend created about her appearance and her abilities a delusion that she chose to live in. This delusion made her act as if the truth about her did not exist, the truth that she does have skills and intelligence and beauty.

What she forgot about was that God made her, and He made her with all of her skills and abilities. He touched her at the moment of her birth, and made her for a purpose. Indeed, every bit of her is covered with God’s touch – his fingerprints, you might say. And God “don’t make junk”.

Steven Curtis Chapman on his 1999 album Speechless included the song Fingerprints Of God that expresses this so well. It is a re-affirmation that every one of us was made by God, and that He loves us intensely, and wants us to view ourselves with truth: Not denying our failings, but also not amplifying them out of all proportion.

I played this song for my friend. I hope she got the message.

Tags: love, self-image, Steven Curtis Chapman

I’ve talked about heaven in several other posts on this blog. One of the major occupations in heaven is a continuous praise and worship service directly in the presence of the King of kings, Jesus. But I also know that I do not have to wait for heaven to start the practice of living a life of praise.

Praise and thanks to the Lord is important firstly because God is absolutely deserving of my praises. He is the Creator; I am the creation, and I owe Him all of my allegiance and love. Amazingly enough, when I learn to focus my life on praise to the Lord, I find that He gives back to me. Focusing myself on praising God takes the spotlight off of myself and my problems and concerns, and directs it to the One who is totally able to manage them. God will take the praise I offer Him, and cause joy and peace to well up within me, regardless of what circumstances I am in. Learning to praise the Lord in the bad times as well as in the good not only fulfills my mandate to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul and strength, but it also gives me the ability to stand up under any pressure.

The importance of praise is mentioned in many places in the Bible (Psalm 103:1-5, Psalm 111:1-4, Psalm 146:1-2, just to name a few). It is a command that sometimes makes no sense; why should I praise Him when I’ve just had a rotten day? When I’ve just had a car accident? When I’ve been told that my job has been terminated? That seems just crazy, to praise God when those bad things happen! And yet, when I take the time to “praise the Lord anyway”, it results in giving me the ability to take that trek in the desert and to make it out the other side.

Jesus music took many forms in its early days, and the concept of praise was not lost on those who performed it. One of the things they did at times was to take an old church favorite and do it in a new way. In 1979, Maranatha! Music released a sampler album called Maranatha! Current, which featured a version of the song Fairest Lord Jesus that was performed by Erick Nelson. And in 1986, the 2nd Chapter of Acts did the same on their Hymns album. I’ve included both versions here because they are different, and are both in their own way beautiful. ((Why are they different? Because the original song was written by German Jesuits and published in 1677, and later translated into English. And as with all translations, they are sometimes updated as the language changes. For more information about this song, see this entry in the Cyberhymnal.)) So here enjoy two different interpretations of a song that focuses praise on the person of Jesus Christ.

(Erick Nelson’s version)

(2nd Chapter Of Acts version)

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2nd Chapter of Acts, Erick Nelson, Praise

The stock market is down, the economy looks shakey, and many people are fearing the future. Some of them know things have turned bad for them; they have lost a job, or their retirement fund has significantly decreased in value. Some of them just stare at that Dow Jones average and get more and more worried. We have not yet reached the point where stock brokers are jumping out of buildings, but if you listen to the news media it seems to be only a matter of time.

And the national elections are almost upon us. People worry about the consequences of the election (or defeat) of a particular candidate. They are convinced that the outcome of this election means the beginning or the end for our country.

I do not intend to imply that the issues I’ve mentioned above are not important. But I do believe that the worry and the fear about them is absolutely wrong. Paul writing in Phlippians 4:6-7 makes clear his advice in this matter: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Using this technique puts the stresses and worries about the future into the hands of the One who holds that future – God. As a child of His, I can trust that He bring me through whatever is coming. He promses He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5b) – and that goes for you, too.

Rob Frasier had an album called This Town in 1987. The song (Doesn’t Anybody Pray In) This Town points out the importance of prayer. God wants a righteous man (or woman) to pray about these and other serious issues – will it be you?

This old town may not look like much to you
But it’s where I live, it’s all I got
And lately change been comin’,
Oh, what’s it comin’ to?
Where there used to be a church
Now it’s a parking lot

We got our houses and our swimming pools
Everybody’s lives are so discrete
But keeping up appearances is our only rule
And we’ve lost the fire we once found on our knees

Doesn’t anybody pray in this town anymore?
Doesn’t anybody wanna stand up for the Lord?
While we shake our heads
Wondering what we’re gonna do
God says, “I need one righteous man!”
Is it gonna be you?

Look outside your back door
Tell me what you see
People are starving in your streets
And human life just ain’t worth
What it used to be
From the nursing home to the nursery

Families are hurting in our neighborhoods
Loyalty and love are out of vogue
And God is just forgotten
Or at best misunderstood
But He remains the one who’s in control
So tell me,

Doesn’t anybody pray in this town anymore?
Doesn’t anybody wanna stand up for the Lord?
While we shake our heads
Wondering what we’re gonna do
God says, “I need one righteous man!”
Is it gonna be you?

And He will lead us to holier ways
To a foundation on which we can stand
For if we humble as people and pray
I know God will heal this land

Doesn’t anybody pray in this town anymore?
Doesn’t anybody wanna stand up for the Lord?
While we wring our hands
Wondering what we’re gonna do
God says, “I need one righteous man!”
Is it gonna be you?

Your town, my town
Will you stand up for the Lord?
God says “I need one righteous man!”
Well is is gonna be you?
Gonna be you?
Gonna be me too?

Rob Frazier’s album This Town is no longer available, but this song is available on his “best-of” album Retrospect. Click on the album cover for a link to his web site:

Tags: pray, Rob Frazier, worry

You’ve been hiking for hours; your water is running short, and what water you have is warm and not at all very appealing. You are getting very dry, and weak, and don’t feel like you can go much further.

But up ahead is a cool green clearing in the forest, and the sound of a babbling brook! You enter the clearing and there you see a well with water gushing up through the center. It runs down into a pool, and out to form a small stream off to one side. And the water! It’s cool, clean, and more delicious than anything you’ve had for a long, long time.

You sit down and soak your aching feet in the cool waters of the pool. All the weariness that had been building up just drops off. You feel your energy returning, and a renewed ability to complete your task.

Water is one of the most critical needs of life. The only thing more needful is the air we breathe. It would be difficult, but a person can go for quite a while without food, but only three to five days without water. And when you are dry, it can take only a few swallows of water to make a significant difference in how you feel.

In John 4, Jesus had an encounter with a woman at a well. He asked her for a drink of water next to a well in the town he was visiting. During their conversation, he offered her a drink of living water, water that would not only quench her thirst, but would itself become a well within her (John 4:13-14).

Dallas Holm, Tim Sheppard, and Phil Johnson teamed up in 1981 and released an album (called Holm, Sheppard & Johnson) of music that included the song, Drawin’ From The Well. The harmonization on this song is so mellow and good. When it hit the playlist I was listening through today, I did something I never do. I replayed it over and over and over. The peace it imparted to me was like the refreshment of that water. I hope you enjoy it also!

Drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry
Drinkin’ Living Water
Provided by my Father
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry 

There’s a well where I’m livin’
Eternal life it’s givin’
It washes all the pain and care away

I’m standin’ in the flow
It’s runnin’ right through my soul
And the source will last forever and a day

And I’m drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry
Drinkin’ Living Water
Provided by my Father
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry

Oh, it fills my life
WIth assurance that I’ll never thirst again
And oh, the days and nights
Are full of joy that comes from knowing Him

And I’m drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry
Drinkin’ Living Water
Provided by my Father
Drawin’ from the well
That will never run dry

Tags: Holm Sheppard & Johnson, peace, thirst, water