He = Glory

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake."

Psalm 23:2-3

In progress

I have become confident in my own self-righteousness. I have been lying to myself. I am a work in progress. I am no one without the righteousness given to me by the work of Jesus Christ in my life (still, not my own). As a girl, a human, a student, a non-confrontational person, [insert label here], I have always found it somewhat difficult to establish friendships greater than the superficial hodge podge. I am highly reserved, which I really don't consider a bad quality most of the time, but my continued reservedness feeds my (already selfish) thoughts with false concepts of self-righteousness.

I know humility is not in my DNA. If it was up to me, of course I would want everything to go my way. But I can rejoice in the fact that God willingly teaches me humility. He knows I have so much to learn. Oh, how often do I forget that humility is not to be achieved. Weird, right? It shouldn't be!

I'll admit. It's hard for me to tell someone when I screw up.

Here's the least-humbling, greatest self-righteous part: it becomes easier when the difficulty subsides and I have nothing to share except for the victory I achieved through that horrible, selfish time in my life (but don't forget the part where I was victorious, wonderful, and holy). What a sickening way to think, but I'd be lying if I told you otherwise.

This is not what God wants in my relationship with Him and with brothers/sisters in Christ. No problems; only victories. That would be nice, but where's the part where I take up my cross? It lacks a growth in understanding, grace, and love.

I would love (I mean, love) to make it seem that I have everything together, that I always know what to do, or that I have all the answers, but God can't work with me or teach me if I strive for my own righteousness and take His place. If I'm not honest with myself, I rob God of all His holiness and glory in my life.

So I would like to think that everyone allows a degree of self-righteousness to plague their life at some point (or maybe it will just make me feel better if i think this way). Either way, I encourage you to be more real than before. Share difficulties while you're drowning in them so a brother or sister can be there to lift you up (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Make sure you go to God first, of course.

I promise I will do the same. :)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way

in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

"For I say through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Romans 12:3