Keeping it Balanced

I am a huge proponent of people seeing themselves through God’s eyes. I want folks to understand they’ve been created in the image their heavenly Father. Christians have been grafted into the nation of Israel; therefore, we are God’s chosen. Our Creator sees us as wonderful.

But some fear going to far. They worry that they’ll let Paul’s notion of sharing God’s glory go to their head. No one who truly loves Christ wants to wake up one day and discover they’ve been allowing their position of prestige in the kingdom turn them into arrogant jerks. Well, first I tell them, “No one who worries about disappointing Jesus that way will.” If you’re really concerned about letting Jesus down, then you understand your place in the Kingdom. Gratitude to Jesus for giving us our elevated position helps keep the arrogance in check.

Another way to make certain we don’t get too full of ourselves is to become immersed in scripture. David had the right idea. I don’t know whether he wrote Psalm 144 before or after his encounter with Bathsheba, but I’m sure that break in his track record helped bring him back around to this attitude:

^3Ã‚ÂLord, what are human beings that you care for them,
Ã‚Â Ã‚Â Ã‚Â Ã‚Â mere mortals that you think of them?
^4Ã‚ÂThey are like a breath;
Ã‚Â Ã‚Â Ã‚Â Ã‚Â their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Psalm 144:3-4

Christians need a balanced view more than most. Those outside the faith get arrogant based on their imaginations and desires. They let what other humans say go to their heads. Christians, on the other hand, have truth on their side. We grow to understand our true value based on what the One who created us said about us. With truth on our side, we could get a bit haughty. But only if we cling to half the truth. David understood the entire truth.

David had the confidence to go up against Goliath. The shepherd killed lions and bears with his sling and bare hands. He accepted the anointing from Samuel without argument (unlike his predecessor, Saul). His self-worth allowed him to sneak up on an unsuspecting Saul twice and let him live because David knew God would keep His promise in His time. The young king could easily have been arrogant. In fact, that’s probably what happened when he decided to stay home from the battle that spring before Bathsheba became his wife. We all have moments when we let the blessings and promises of God go to our head.

But knowing that shouldn’t keep us from embracing them.

The scriptures can help you balance your ideas of grandeur. Psalm 144:3-4 is the perfect example of a few words that can bring us back to reality. We can balance our lofty position here on earth with God’s. He is King of the universe. The oceans fit in the palm of His hand. Isaiah saw the train of his robe. The train alone filled the temple. How enormous is God that the train of his robe would consume the glorious place of worship?

David encourages us to ask ourselves, “Why does God even pay attention to me?” This single question spurs us to put our arrogant thoughts and actions in check. The reminder that the Creator has numbered our days on this earth and one day we’ll see Him face to face helps quash those feelings of excessive grandeur.

So go ahead, think of yourself the way God thinks of you: beautiful, wonderful, the apple of His eye, beloved creation, made in His image. And to balance it, remember Psalm 144: You are just a breath, a fleeting shadow, loved desperately by the One who created you!