“Each of us has a me that we think we should be, which is at odds with the me that God made us to be. Sometimes letting go of that self may be a relief. Sometimes it will feel like death.”- John Ortberg
In Chapter 2 (“The Me I Don’t Want to Be”), John Ortberg stresses God designed us to delight in our lives. Therefore, when your life ends, God won’t ask why you weren’t someone else. He’ll want to know you grew toward becoming you. That process frees you from pretending someone you’re not.
For pretending requires hard work. As a result, Pastor Ortberg notes, transparency beckons us. We long to go to a place where we live out our real selves. John explains:
“Inside us is a person without pretense or guile. We never have to pretend with God, and genuine brokenness pleases God more than pretend spirituality.”
Furthermore, John underscores that “comparison kills spiritual growth.” In fact, Henri Nouwen once defined spiritual greatness as “being as great as each of us can be.” Conversely, spiritual greatness never equates to achieving more greatness than others.
However, when we give up the me we think we should be, we die to a false self. In conclusion, Pastor Ortberg explains the importance of the word should for spiritual growth:
” . . . God’s plan is not for you to obey him because you should even though you don’t want to. He made you to want his plan for you. On the other side of death is freedom, and no one is more free than a dead man . . . . On the journey to the me you want to be, you will have some dying to do. But that kind of dying is always death to a lesser self, a false self, so that a better and nobler self can come to life.”
Today’s question: Do you find your current view of ‘me’ at odds with the way God designed you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The final word on who God made you to be”
