Note to Self

It’s telling that self-help books regularly top the bestseller lists. But it’s no surprise.  

From birth, we’re sold the allure of a self-made life. Then, when it doesn’t deliver, we’re told the antidote is self-help. In other words, it’s up to us to make life happen. Then it’s up to us to pick up the pieces when it doesn’t. Our eyes, or hopes, never rise past self. 

I recently spoke with a believer who felt if he didn’t stay on the world’s treadmill of expectations, he would self-sabotage his career. My heart went out to him. But notice the word he used to describe his fear. Self-sabotage.  

To assume our dreams will only succeed if we keep doing more to make them happen is an exhausting way to live. And it never works. In the great stories of the Bible, victory never depended solely on the brains or brawn of the person. It doesn’t with us either. 

The cure to a self-made life isn’t more self-help. It’s to exchange self-reliance for a life where God is at the center of every hope, dream, fear, question, disappointment, and need. A life where God’s not the back-up plan when all else fails, but the only plan. 

Make a note to self to remember that.

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